Fuli The Forgetful
by Just4FunFiction
Summary: What starts as another day on patrol takes a turn for the worst when Fuli is injured, and it costs her all memory of herself, her friends and her role in the Circle of Life. How will this affect herself, but her team, and the entire Pride Lands?
1. Ch 1- Another Day In The Pride Lands

**(A/N: the following story was requested by BlazerPlex, to whom I apologise for this taking so long. There will be some Kion and Fuli moments in this, but it will not be explicitly romantic and will focus more on their friendship this time. I might make it a bit more of a KiFu fic later, but it might also stay purely platonic. I'll leave it up to interpretation for now.**

**With that out of the way, please enjoy!)**

It was another typical day for the Lion Guard, as they raced across the plains of the Pride Lands in an attempt to prevent Janja and his hyenas from hunting the zebra herd. "What's the plan, Kion?" Bunga called out.

"We need to get them away from the border to the Outlands," Kion responded. "If the hyenas lure them that way, we won't be able to protect all of them." He glanced out of the corner of his eye to the cheetah member of the Guard, otherwise known as Fuli the Fastest. "Fuli, you catch up to the herd and try to redirect them." He turned his head slightly to look at Ono, the keenest of sight. "Ono, fly ahead with her and let her know how far off the border is."

"You got it, Kion!" Fuli confidently replied to her leader. "Huwezi!"

She then picked up speed and ran ahead at a much faster pace, while the egret simply saluted with his wing to the lion cub and flew on ahead. Kion looked at the hippo and honey badger that were still with him and instructed them by saying, "you two are with me. We're going to try and cut them off and take out the hyenas."

"You got it, Kion!" Beshte and Bunga both replied, following after him.

Further up ahead, Janja and his hyenas are heard cackling as they chase the poor, frightened and confused zebra closer and closer to the border, biting at their heels to keep them moving together. "Almost there, boys!" He barked, a wicked grin on his muzzle. "Once we get them back to the Outlands, we'll be having a feast!"

"Sorry, but your reservation has been cancelled!" Fuli shouted as she caught up. Before Janja knew it, he had been rammed by the cheetah, knocking him away from the herd. She proceeded to do this with the other five hyenas that were chasing the equine herd, before looking to the sky, where Ono flew close by. "Which way do we need to move the herd, Ono?"

"You need to redirect them rightward!" He explained, his keen sight set on the border up ahead. "And you need to do it quickly- the border is really close now!"

She smirked. "Don't forget who you're talking to!" She picked up speed once more and caught up to the front of the heard, running close to their left side. "The hyenas are gone now, but you need to go right, or you'll head straight into the Outlands!"

"Are you sure?" She heard the leader, a female named Muhimu, ask uncertainly.

"Positive! Now, move!"

"You heard the cheetah! Everyone turn right!"

Whilst Janja and his clan tried to catch up, he growled angrily as he saw Fuli and Ono redirect the herd in the opposite direction of the destination he had intended. "They're getting away! After them!"

The second he said this, however, he felt himself being forced into the ground with a grunt. "I don't think so, Janja!" Kion argued as the lion cub pinned him down. "It's time you and your cronies went back where you came from.

"I don't think so!" He tilted his head so he could look at the other hyenas. "Get em, furbrains!"

The hyenas stopped chasing after the wildebeest and turned around, beginning to charge towards the Prince of the Pride Lands. Kion simply smirked, thinking to himself, 'perfect'. "Now!" Before any of the hyenas could comprehend what had happened, their eyes went wide as they heard a cry.

"TWINDE KIBOKO!" Beshte came charging through, crashing right into the hyenas, sending them flying left and right. The strongest of the Guard looked behind him when he came to a stop and saw three more hyenas preparing to attack him, but he simply smirked. "You ready back there?"

The hyenas looked at each other, confused by the hippo's words, until they heard a voice shout, "you betcha, Big B! ZUKA ZAMA!" Before they even realised it, they felt the honey badger jump on their heads one by one, forcing them into the ground. When the first one tried to get up and tackle him, Bunga ducked, causing the hyena to crash into his ally, before they both crashed into their other ally. "Let's send 'em home, Kion!"

"My thoughts exactly, Bunga!" Kion yelled back, before grabbing Janja and throwing him to the others. Digging his claws into the ground, his eyes narrowed as he took in a deep breath, summoning all his power, then unleashing it with an almighty Roar of the Elders. None of the hyenas could even hope to resist it as they were sent flying toward the Outlands, their cries fading as they disappeared from sight. Kion eventually relaxed, his lungs still breathing deeply as they did after he used the Roar. "That should be enough from them for the day."

"Why can't they just take the hint and give up?!" Bunga complained, throwing his arms up. "We always win and they always lose! That's never going to change!"

"You've gotta admire their persistence, at least," Beshte suggested.

"Not when they use it like that," Kion retorted.

"I guess you're right. Well, since we've dealt with them, should we go see how Fuli and Ono are getting on?"

"Good thinking, Beshte. Lead the way."

* * *

As was typically the case, the landing for the hyenas was not a gentle one, their bodies careening into the ground with a thud as they landed, one atop of the other. Janja grumbled as he lifted himself out from the pile of his comrades, shaking his hind leg gingerly. "Scar's not going to be happy about this," he muttered.

"You're not wrong there, Janja!" He heard a male voice boast. Turning around, he saw two skinks, one yellowy-orange with darker stripes and a blue tongue sticking out, and the other dark red with a deep purple underbelly. "You know, I've lost count of how many times you've failed now! How many is it?"

"Zip it, Njano!" the hyena barked back. "You gotta lotta mouth for someone who's only good at being a sneak!"

"At least we're good for _something_, Janja," the red skink retorted, narrowing her eyes as her words dripped with venom. "You, on the other hand, can never seem to do your job right."

"You little-"

"Ah, ah, ah!" The female skink's eyes seemed to flicker with menacing glee. "Hold that thought, Janja. Scar's waiting for you- better not keep him waiting."

As the skinks scuttled away, Janja snarled to himself. 'They're lucky Scar likes having them around,' he thought to himself, before turning to the other hyenas. "Take five, boys. This won't take long… hopefully."

Janja walked away, heading into a nearby cave. The heat was high due to the lava below. Looking on the walls, Janja spotted the two skinks from before, alongside a number of other skinks of varying colours, staring smugly as he trudged his way towards the centre. As he did so, a huge series of flames shot out of the lava, letting off an almost evil roar as they flickered. This didn't last long, as they quickly took the form of the head of a lion, dark brownish-red flames creating a mane while bright, glowing yellow eyes stared at the hyena, an unamused look on its face.

"Janja, the skinks inform me that you have failed me… AGAIN," the giant head of Scar boomed.

"Did they now," Janja grumbled.

"Is that true?"

The glare Janja received was harsher than the heat of the lava below. "Well, you see-"

"WHY HAVE YOU FAILED ME AGAIN?!" Scar roared in anger, causing Janja to back up as the flames roared more heavily, flickering dangerously close to the hyena's flesh.

"I-it wasn't our fault!" Janja attempted to plead. "We got the wildebeest right to the border, but that stupid cheetah knocked us aside and lured them away. We tried to stop her, but we don't have that kind of speed. I'm sorry!"

Scar scoffed, showing no pity for the scavenger. "Sorry is just ONE of the words I would use to describe you." Janja ducked his head in shame. "Now, get out of my sight!"

Janja didn't need telling twice and scampered away with his tail between his legs. The skinks scuttled toward the fiery lion, with Shupavu, the red skink, standing in front. "How many more chances will that idiot get?"

"I will admit, my patience with him is thinning," Scar sighed. "Still, it was thanks to his clan and you skinks that my revival has become a possibility." As he thought back to the hyena's words, a small, sly smirk began to appear. "And yet, even in his failure, he has provided something useful."

The skinks looked at each other, uncertain what he meant, before Njano asked, "which is?"

"Simple, dear skinks. He has shown me what our next course of action should be. If we are to take over the Pride Lands, we need to stop the Lion Guard from stopping us. In order to do that, we need to counter their strengths, and if today has proven anything, then their biggest strength is…"

* * *

"Fuli!" Kion called out as he, Bunga and Beshte approached the zebras' grazing grounds. The cheetah lifted her head and smiled as she saw them, her and Ono making their way towards them. "Everything okay here?"

"As if you even have to ask," she smugly replied, smirking at the lion cub who rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we're all good on our end. Right, Ono?"

"Yep!" The egret answered. "All zebras are presented and accounted for, with no injuries and no stragglers."

"Glad to hear it," Kion commended. "Good work, you two."

"Kion!" He heard a voice call as Muhimu, the leader of the zebra herd, approached the team. "Lion Guard, thank you once again for saving my herd!"

"No problem, Muhimu!" Bunga gladly replied, cockily crossing his arms and grinning. "It's what we do best!"

"You do so much for the Pride Lands. I wish there was a way we could repay you."

"Well, actually-"

Beshte cut off the honey badger, pushing him back with a paw. "We're simply playing our part in the Circle of Life. You don't need to repay us."

Muhimu gave a nod. "Well, if there is ever anything me or my herd can do for you, don't hesitate to let me know."

"We'll be sure to remember that. Keep safe." Whilst Muhimu returned to her herd, Kion turned to the rest of the Guard. "Okay, everyone. That's all for today's patrol, so rest up and we'll meet back at the lair tomorrow morning."

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Bunga said, turning and beginning to sprint away. "See you later guys!"

The rest showed a mixture of amusement and irritation at the honey badger, with Fuli rolling her eyes, being the only one not chuckling. After Ono and Beshte said their goodbyes and went on their way, the two felines were left to themselves. "So, Kion, guess I'll see you in the morning?"

"Guess so, unless you don't mind me walking with you for a bit?"

She smiled. "Sure, why not?" He smiled back, before the two began to walk away. "So, Kion, any particular reason why you're walking with me today? Usually, you'd head back to Pride Rock and I'd just head wherever I'm sleeping for the night."

"I don't know, really. I guess I just wanted to… talk."

Fuli turned her head towards him, noticing a conflicted expression on his face. "You okay?"

He didn't answer straight away, looking at the ground while they walked, but before she could ask him again, he spoke. "It feels like things are changing, and not in a good way." She didn't know what to make of this, so she allowed him to continue. "I don't know what or how or when, but… I just have a bad feeling that something's going to happen, and I'm worried about what it could be."

It hurt to hear him sound quite so lost, so confused, so… vulnerable. Fuli took a deep breath as she processed this, then stopped walking. "Kion, look at me," she told him. He didn't hesitate to obey, his eyes meeting hers. "I don't know what that feeling is, or if something like that will happen… but the one thing I can say is that, no matter what happens, we will face it together, and we will stop it. Because we're the Lion Guard, and that's what we do." She stepped towards him, showing a gentle smile. "I'll stand by your side, just like the others, and as long as we do, we will be okay."

He could see the care in her eyes, as well as that ever present determination she always carried with her, and it made him feel more at ease. "Thanks, Fuli."

"Anytime, Kion."


	2. Ch 2- One Last Shot At Redemption

The next two days were relatively peaceful for the Lion Guard, given that there were no attacks to deal with, hyena or otherwise. There were no squabbles to deal with either, meaning that everyone was happy and calm. The only thing that actually had to be dealt with was a fallen tree that was blocking the pangolins from getting out of there home, and in the end, all that took was some pushing from Beshte to deal with the problem.

'Hopefully, today will be something like that,' Kion thought as he approached the entrance to the Lair. 'I still can't help but get the feeling that something is going to happe, and I don't know what it is.' He pushed through the vines that covered the entrance. 'Whatever it is, we can face it. We just need to be careful.'

As he entered the cave, he saw that everyone else was already there- Beshte was talking with Ono, Fuli was stretching her hind legs, and Bunga was floating in the pool. As he approached the group, they all noticed his presence and turned to face him.

"Everyone ready for patrol?" Kion asked.

"Do we even need to today?" Bunga asked, though it sounded more like he was complaining, so everyone else was quick to roll their eyes at the honey badger- even Beshte, who was usually amused by Bunga's antics, did the same as his teammates. "It's been SO BORING lately!"

"Bunga, you know it's our duty to patrol the Pride Lands," Ono reminded him.

"Yeah, Lil B!" Beshte added. "Imagine if we did take a break, and that was the day the Pride Lands were attacked."

"Beshte's right," Kion affirmed. "We can't afford to take it easy in case Janja, Reirei, Makucha, or anyone else tries to start an attack on the Pride Lands. We have to make sure we keep a watch over everything, and never let our guard down."

Bunga groaned as he got out of the water. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Just wish something would happen."

"You say that now, but if something does happen, you might wish it didn't."

Bunga blinked. "That's a good point."

"Alright. Well, if we're ready to go… til the Pride Lands end!"

"LION GUARD DEFENDS!"

* * *

So, the Lion Guard went on patrol once again. Much like the past two days, things were calm in the Pride Lands. As they went by and checked on the zebra and gazelle herds, they were relieved to know that everything was okay. What they didn't know was that, further into the Pride Lands, there were eyes on the wildebeest herd, patiently waiting for their cue.

"This had better work," Janja grumbled.

"Indeed," a cold voice huddled behind him. Turning around, Janja came face to face with Ushari, the cobra who had helped Scar to return and was his right hand man in all operations. "If we are to deal with the Guard once and for all, this must go off without a hitch, and I'm quite certain that there is no need for me to remind you of Scar's promise." Janja shuddered, the threat of death in the event of failure lingering over him heavily. "I shall leave you to it, but know that my skinks will be watching once you reach the Outlands." He turned and began to slither away. "If you even make it THAT far."

Janja wanted to growl at the serpent, but knew that it would be wiser to hold his tongue for now. Instead, he turned to his allies, the remaining hyenas and the vultures, who were patiently waiting for his orders. "Alright, Furbrains! Here's the deal- on my signal, we chase the wildebeest into the Outlands. Hopefully, Fuli will split up from the others and come alone. In the event that one of the others joins them, the vultures need to take care of them."

"Janja, if I may," Mzingo, the leader of the vultures' Parliament, spoke up, "what should we do if things _don't_ go to plan?"

"Hopefully, that won't be an issue…" His face grew solemn. "If that's the case… get ready to run away. Scar'll find out the second things go wrong, and he's not gonna be forgiving anyone this time, so it'll be everyone for themselves." A howl in the distance caught his attention. He took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. "Alright, there's the signal. It's now or never, boys. Let's go."

* * *

Whilst the hyenas began to move, the Guard were continuing their patrol when Ono began to notice something. "Kion?" He called out. "Something's going on up ahead!" He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what it was, then widened them when he saw a pack of jackals chasing after the giraffe herd. "Hapana! Reirei and her jackals are chasing after the giraffes!"

"Since when do jackals hunt giraffes?" Beshte asked.

"What matters is they are, so we need to stop them!" Kion ordered. "Til the Pride Lands-"

"Hang on, Kion!" Ono called out again, his eyes training on something else in another direction. "It looks like the wildebeest are stampeding… and the hyenas are leading them towards the Outlands!"

'Should've known they'd be back sooner or later,' Kion mentally scolded. "How far are they from the jackals?"

"They're pretty far. I doubt we could stop them from reaching the Outlands AND stop the jackals!"

"Then what do we do?"

"I've got this one, Kion!" Fuli called, before picking up the pace and dashing off after the wildebeest. "HUWEZI!"

"FULI!" Kion yelled after her, but it was too late. "Ono, fly after her, and make sure she's not ambushed."

"You got it, Kion!" Ono told his leader, before flying off after the speedy cheetah, leaving just Kion, Beshte and Bunga.

"Guess that leaves the jackals to us," Kion reminded his remaining teammates. "Alright. Let's try and get this over with quickly, so we can go and help Fuli deal with Janja."

"Eh, let her have them!" Bunga boasted. "That just means there's more jackal morons to go around!"

"Looks like you got that action you were looking for after all, Bunga," Beshte remarked with a chuckle. Kion, however, found no reason to laugh.

"Let's hope we don't regret it."

As Kion led them towards the tormenting Jackals, Ono was flying after the cheetah, trying to get a good view of what was happening ahead of him. His highly keen sense of sight quickly picked up on the cheetah, her speed nearing its known maximum as she dashed after the hyenas. Looking further ahead, he saw them, nipping at the heels of the wildebeest herd from behind and from either side to keep them on course. Looking further ahead of the herd, however, Ono gasped. It was no secret that he was the most intelligent member of the Guard, so it didn't take much for him to figure out the flaw in Fuli's plan.

"At her current speed, she won't catch them before they reach the Outlands!" the egret said to himself. "Hapana! I need to warn her!" He began to pick up speed in an attempt to close the distance between them. "FULI! FUUULIII!" Before he could call out further, however, he felt a brute force charge into him, causing him to slow down so he can correct himself. After steadying himself so he didn't plummet to the ground, he looked around and saw that he was surrounded by Mzingo and his parliament of vultures. "Mzingo! What are you doing here?"

"Dreadfully sorry, Ono," Mzingo responded, though his voice told him the opposite, "but we can't allow you to go any further. However, we'll be fair about how we deal with you and take parliamentary procedure: all in favour for killing Ono here and now, say aye!"

"AYE!" the rest of the vultures all squawked in agreement.

"Not today, Mzingo!" Without further warning, Ono folded his wings against his body and dove downwards, picking up speed the closer he got to the ground. Once he was close enough, he opened his wings once more and began to fly forwards at a greater pace. While Ono could here Mzingo order his parliament to chase after him, he instead focused on catching up with his friend. "Hang on, Fuli!"

* * *

As for the cheetah, she noticed that the Outlands were fast approaching, and that her current speed would not allow her to reach them. 'I haven't gone that fast since the time I pushed myself too hard,' she thought, a look of determination on her face, 'but desperate times call for desperate measures.'

"HUWEZI!" She shouted, using as much energy as she could muster to increase her speed, reaching a pace she had never before achieved. She began to close the gap between herself and the herd, but the Outlands were approaching just as quickly. "It's now or never,

Fuli! Let's go!"

As she continued to run, Janja took a look back and smirked. "Get ready, boys!" He called out. "Ready… now!"

On his command, all of the hyenas began to split from the wildebeest herd, much to the confusion of the cheetah. 'What are they doing?' Looking back and forth between the pack and the herd, she realised that she had to make a choice. 'Save the wildebeest and let the hyenas go, or stop the hyenas and let the wildebeest go… you're lucky, Janja.' Ignoring the hyenas, she ran along the side of the wildebeest, moving further ahead until she was alongside the leader of the herd. "You need to turn around!" She have a side-on bump to the wildebeest, prompting it to begin to turn to the right, prompting it and its herd to change courses, just in the nick of time. They turned just enough to run right alongside the border between the Pride Lands and the Outlands, hooves just inches away from going over the edge.

Fuli, however, was another story.

In the distance, Ono had managed to get far enough away from the vultures, and was able to see the wildebeest herd heading away from the Outlands. "She got to the herd… but where is she?" Training his eyes on the distance once more, he saw the hyenas were running… right towards Fuli, as she dangled on the edge of the cliff. "FULI! HANG ON, I'M COMING!"

While he tried to race after her, Janja menacingly skulked closer to the struggling feline, who was trying desperately to get a hold of something and push herself back up. Her attempts were halted as the hyenas' leader plunged his claws into her paws, causing her to scream in pain. Looking at his evil grin, she growled. "You won't be smiling for long, Janja," she threatened, "once I get up there, I'll-"

Janja cackled, silencing her as the dastardly fire in his eyes caused her to become concerned. "You're not getting up, Fuli," he taunted. "The only place you're going is down. I'd say it was nice knowing you, but… it really wasn't."

Her eyes widened, and before she even knew it, he sent her crashing down the cliff side, screaming the whole way down. Janja grinned as she plummeted down below, catching the side of the cliff and crashing into the ground below with a thud, before he turned to his allies. "Okay, boys. Scar wants us to bring her to him. Quicker we do, the happier he'll be, so let's go."

While they walked away, Ono was flying towards the cliff in a hurry, his heart pounding a mile a minute after what he'd just seen. "Please be okay… please be okay…" It didn't take long for him to reach the edge of the cliff, and when he arrived, his stomach dropped in an instant. "Hapana!" He flew down straight away to get a closer look, and his mind immediately assumed the worst- her body was covered in numerous cuts, most of which she had likely assumed by colliding with the cliff. The most worrying injury, however, was the blow she had suffered to the head, which was bleeding. Ono's face showed pure despair, seeing the still body of the cheetah. "Oh, Fuli…" He gently moved closer, lowering his head down towards her chest. While it seemed that she wasn't breathing, he could pick up a heartbeat. "She's unconscious… thank the Kings, she's just unconscious!" His relief, however, was short lived. "I need to get help, but… if I leave her here, something could happen to her…" His mind began to bounce back and forth between the two points, knowing that the wrong decision could prove costly. He sighed to himself, then looked back to the still Fuli. "Hang on, Fuli. I'll be back."

With that, he took flight once more with determination, ready to do whatever he can to save her. As he set off, he was unaware of the eyes that had been watching him, and were now on the still body at the bottom of the cliff.


	3. Ch 3- The Search Begins

Chapter three- The Search Begins

"Yeah, you better run!" Bunga yelled, a confident smirk on his face as he waved his fist at the fleeing jackals. "You come back here again, and it'll end the same!"

"It's alright, Bunga," Beshte assured his friend. "They're gone!"

"Yeah, they are! All thanks to the Lion Guard!"

Beshte couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's enthusiasm. "If you say so, Lil' B." He turned to Kion, who was walking towards them from the giraffe herd. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah," Kion responded. "They're a bit shaken, but no one's hurt, and everyone is accounted for."

Beshte smiled upon hearing this. "That's good to hear."

The lion cub nodded. "Good work, Beshte." He turned to the honey badger. "You too, Bunga."

"Thanks, Kion! So, what's next?"

"Now, we go and catch up with Fuli and Ono. They might still need help dealing with Janja."

So, after they said goodbye to Twiga and her herd, they took off in the direction their fastest ally had headed towards. Kion felt an uneasy feeling in his stomach as he walked. 'The jackals didn't exactly leave the instant we saw them,' he reasoned, 'but they didn't put up much of a fight, and they've never gone after the giraffes before. Why now?'

Before he could think more of it, they heard something in the distance. They came to a stop and held their ears up in the air to try and identify it. "It sounds familiar," Beshte pointed out.

"Kion!"

"It sounds like someone's calling out for someone!" Bunga added.

"KION!"

The lion cub's eyes went wide. "It's Ono!" He looked ahead, his eyes scanning the sky, before they were eventually able to find the aforementioned egret. "That way!" So, they began to run towards their teammate. When they were close enough, and Ono flew down, the look in his eyes did the opposite of relax the feeling in Kion's stomach. "Ono, what's going on?"

"You've got to come quick, Kion! It's bad!" He replied in a panic. "We don't have much time!"

"Ono, slow down! What happened?"

"Fuli, she… Janja, he… he sent her over the cliff."

The range of expressions that came from this news perfectly painted a picture of how they were feeling. Bunga was shocked, his eyes wide and jaw dropped. Beshte was clearly upset, his ears folded against his head and his lips curled into a deep frown. Kion, however, clearly seemed to be taking it the worst- in short he was devastated. His eyes looked as though the light had been ripped out of them, tears threatening to pour out. His lips were almost quivering as he felt a lump form in his throat. He was struggling to stay stood up.

"Is… I-I-Is she…"

"She's unconscious, but I was able to find a pulse. We can help her, but we should get to her quick."

Though faint, a bit of hope returned to Kion'a eyes and he was able to find the strength to force back the tears and steady himself. "You're right, Ono." He turned to the others. "Bunga, Beshte, find Rafiki. Once we've found Fuli, I'll send Ono to find you." The two were silent in their response, merely nodding before heading on their way. Kion turned to Ono. "Show me the way."

"On it!"

So, the two of them took off again, as fast as they could. As he followed after his avian friend, Kion's mind was assuming the worst, and it worried him more than anything he had ever faced in his past. His thoughts were repeating 'please be okay,' almost like a mantra, hoping that it would be true. 'I can't say goodbye, especially not like this.'

Neither he nor Ono would dare say a word as they raced across the Pride Lands, the keenest of sight's eyes directing them on their way. "I can see where she fell!" Ono finally spoke, flying a bit faster as he approached the cliff's edge. Looking over it, however, his eyes went wide. "Hapana… hapana, hapana, hapana…"

"What is it?!" Kion ran up to the edge of the cliff, but when he looked down, he and Ono had the same question:

"Where is she?"

"They should be arriving soon, sire!" Ushari informed Scar, the serpent then turning his head to one side. "Assuming, of course, he has managed to succeed for once. Otherwise, I would imagine he and his hyenas would be half way towards another part of Africa by now."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Njano added, the yellow and blue skink giving a chuckle. "He talks a big game, but he's a coward when someone has his number."

"Which is why we should dispose of him and search for a new set of allies," Shupavu added after, the rest of the skinks nodding and voicing their agreement.

"Your points have been taken into consideration!" Scar responded, his voice booming even though he was speaking in a rather calm manner. "Should Janja turn up and have failed me again, we shall do that. However, he is responsible for my return, and he has shown me unquestioning loyalty, so I have given him one last chance."

"I wouldn't exactly say he was-"

"HEY, SCAR!" They heard the aforementioned hyena call into the cave. "WE'RE BACK, AND WE BROUGHT YOU A PRESENT!"

Everyone turned and widened their eyes as the hyenas came in, carrying the limp body of Fuli with them. "My, my, my!" Scar spoke, his eyes and voice showing an evil kind of glee as she was deposited before him. "You have surprised and delighted me, Janja! You executed the plan to perfection!"

"Hey, don't forget about us!" Another voice called as Reirei, leader of the jackals, led her pack into the cave. "If we hadn't distracted the rest of the Guard, they'd have stopped you before you were anywhere near the cliff!"

"Perhaps, but we pulled off the key part of the plan, so we're the real MVP's!"

Reirei was going to retort, but Scar beat her to it. "Actually, you both make excellent points. Reirei, you and your jackals are to be commended for your performance today." Reirei grinned at Janja, who scowled back at her. "But had Janja not succeeded in sending Fuli over the cliff, everything would have been for nothing, so his role WAS more important this time." It was Janja's turn to grin, and Reirei's to scowl. "Needless to say, you shall both be rewarded. The crocodiles were able to hunt some antelope who wandered too close to the border, so you will have first picks of the meal. You may now leave." The hyenas and jackals all bowed to Scar, before turning around and heading out of the cave. "Oh, and Janja?" The head of the hyenas turned his head around again. "You have done well today. Don't let it get to your head, and make sure to keep this up." Janja nervously gulped and nodded again, before scampering away. Turning to Ushari, the formerly deceased king nodded, to which the serpent responded in kind and slithered towards the cheetah. "Was the fall fatal?"

Placing his head against her neck, Ushari frowned upon finding a pulse. "I'm afraid not, sire," Ushari answered. "It appears that, by some miracle, she is only unconscious. The blow to the head should have done the job, but alas not."

"No bother. We shall instead switch to Plan B. Have the crocodiles take Fuli to the cave near the geysers, the one that is hidden from sight." He shifted his gaze to the skinks. "Skinks, you are to monitor her at all times. In the event of any change in condition, such as her awakening or, dare I hope, her _death_, inform me immediately, but do not let her escape or tell her of our plan. And do not let ANYONE else in there at any time. The crocs will be on patrol duty while you do so, so this shouldn't be a problem."

"With pleasure, Scar," Shupavu responded with a head bow, before signalling to her fellow skinks. "Let's go."

As they and Ushari made their leave, Scar chuckled to himself. "Well, dear Fuli… let us see what fate the Kings of the Past have for you…"

Bunga and Beshte quickly reached the border with Rafiki, the elderly mandrill fully aware of the situation after the two Lion Guard members had informed him on the way there. "Ono!" Bunga called out. "Where are you?!"

It was only a few seconds before the egret flew up and headed towards them. "Thank the Kings, you're here!" Ono spoke to Rafiki.

"How is the situation?" Rafiki asked. "More importantly, how is her condition?"

Ono's eyes immediately pointed downward glumly. "That's the thing… you'd better follow me." He led them along the border until they reached a safe spot for them to descend into the Outlands. Going back along the border, they reached a clearing which was connected to a narrow valley that led further into the Outlands. What was remarkable about the area, though, was the splatter of blood along the ground, which Ono flew down to. "This was where Fuli landed, and before I left to find Kion, she hadn't moved."

"So, maybe she got up and tried to find us?" Beshte suggested hopefully, though even he knew it was a stretch.

"I'm afraid that is not likely," Rafiki pointed out with a sigh. "Given the height of the cliff, a fall like that should have spelled her demise…" His head dipped as a frown took over his face. "Much like Mufasa met his." Ono, Beshte and Bunga all looked at each other, their hearts sinking into their stomachs upon the idea that Fuli would meet the same fate. "If you said you found a pulse, then the Kings must be smiling down on her, but there is no chance that she could have woken up so quickly, let alone have gotten that far from here."

"It seemed like the biggest injury she got was a blow to the head," Ono explained. "It was bleeding kinda badly, and her body was covered in cuts and scrapes, but it didn't seem like she broke anything. Though, I didn't get much chance to check. I had to try and find Kion before anything happened, but… guess I was too late."

"Don't say that, Ono," Beshte consoled. "You had no control over this. It was Janja's fault, and we will make sure that everything goes back to the way it was."

Ono sighed. "I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, but I don't think you can right now." Beshte's ears went flat against his head with a frown. Ono felt bad for making him feel bad and was going to apologise, but his attention was drawn to the mandrill, who was inspecting the cliff. "What is it, Rafiki?"

"Given Fuli's injuries as you have described them, it stands to reason that she fell close to the wall of the cliff, which would cause the cuts on her body, while the blow to the head would likely have come from hitting the wall. Somewhere that the rocks stick out." His eyes scanned the wall, until he noticed a particular protruding part of the cliff, close to the base. "Ono, fly up there and see what you can see for me!"

"Okay, Rafiki!" Without hesitation, he began to fly upwards, just enough so he could land on the rock, and as luck (or, depending on how you look at it, a lack thereof) would have it, it was also covered in blood splatter. "I think you're right, Rafiki! It looks like she hit her head here and drew blood."

"In that case, it is important that we find her! If she fell from such a height and hit her head strongly enough to draw her own blood, there could be serious ramifications." Ono flew back down to the others' level. "Did you or Kion happen to find any leads?"

"Well, Kion began to head into the Outlands, saying that-" his eyes went wide. "HAPANA!"

"What? What is it?" Bunga asked. "What did he say?"

"He said… he was going to make Janja pay."

A crash of thunder from the distance, prompting them to look to the Outlands. Looking above the hyenas' home turf, they saw a storm beginning to form, and it filled them all with dread. "We must go after him and stop him!" Rafiki urged. "If Kion uses the Roar of the Elders for evil intentions, the Roar will be lost, and the Guard will no longer be able to protect the Pride Lands!"


	4. Ch 4- Rage Taking Over

The rain had begun to pour down heavily in the Outlands, the occasional crash of thunder adding to the ominous atmosphere that had taken over the desolate area. A storm had begun to brew, and it was clear that it was just the beginning. Running across the dampening ground, Kion's eyes never blinked, unfazed by any rain that fell upon them. His mind had blocked out the hearing torrential weather conditions, with only one thought filling him with the energy he needed to reach his destination: avenging Fuli.

"_**You know what has to be done, Kion," **_a cold, unforgiving yet oddly soothing voice whispered in his mind. One Kion recognised, and one that he would normally do all he could to avoid listening to, but this time, there was no stopping the voice from controlling his every thought. _**"They took her from you: your ally, your close friend. You care for her more than any other, and they've killed her."**_ Had Kion had the wherewithal to form his own opinions at that time, he would have remembered that Ono had found Fuli unconscious, yet still alive. The voice, however, was feeding his darker side- his fears, his guilt, and most importantly, his anger. _**"Who is to say they will stop with her? Who's to say they won't attack the rest of your team, or your Pride? Your sister, your mother, your father? Who can stop them if they so wish?"**_

"I can," Kion responded to the voice in his head, his tone no longer matching that which he typically adopted, but a cruel, merciless, even menacing one instead.

"_**That's right, Kion, you CAN! And you know what must be done!"**_

"They have to be eliminated, once and for all."

"_**Correct again! And in order to do that, there is one thing you must do!"**_

"Use the Roar of the Elders!"

"_**INDEED!"**_ While Kion would normally dismiss such thoughts and realise the consequences of such actions, voice that controlled him was allowing no such rationality from the young cub. _**"Now, GO! Find those that have wronged you, and make them PAY FOR THEIR SINS!"**_

The voice faded away with cacophonous laughter, but the damage had already been done: Kion was no longer in control, and his lust for the blood of his enemies was his sole driving force now. He was out for blood, and nothing was going to stop him.

Meanwhile, Janja and his boys happily ate away at their share of the crocodiles' hunt, their first proper meal in many days, so manners and restraint went straight out the window the first chance they could. Feeling that he was finally full, Janja sat back with a content sigh and a belch that sent his allies into hysterics. "This is what I'm talking about, boys!" He declared. "Fuli is outta the picture, and we've got full bellies once again!" He looked up to the sky and stuck his tongue out, allowing the rain to fall on his face. "And with showers in the dry season, I couldn't ask for more… ah, who am I kidding? I could always ask for more!" He laughed loudly, the others joining him. "Best thing is that nothing can ruin this for us!"

"JANJA!" He heard an all too familiar voice challenge, followed by more thunder and lightning, the latter hitting the cliff and sending a couple of small rocks falling down. Janja groaned at the interruption, turning around to see the leader of the Lion Guard marching towards him. Rather than cheer away, however, Janja simply sneered.

"Looks like it's our lucky day, boys!" H taunted. "Two Lion Guard kills for the price of one!" Kion paid no attention to their cackling, turning his march into a jog, and then into a run right towards them. "No waiting for your pals to back you up? Suit yourself! Boys, ATTACK!"

The hyenas ran towards Kion with Janja watching on gleefully. That glee, however, quickly dissipated, as he saw something unexpected unfold before him. Kion began swiping at the heads of the hyenas, claws bared. He would bite at their legs and chomp down hard, drawing blood from their ligaments and screams from their lungs, before tossing them aside. He was sweeping through the clan like they were nothing, easily dispatching the twenty plus goons that had been sent at him with not a scratch to show for it, not killing any yet but dealing moderate injuries to each, until he saw a Janja, all by himself and feeling nerves settling in. Before Janja even knew what happened, his body was forced to the ground, and sharp teeth were plunged into his shoulder, eliciting a devastating howl of pain. Breathing heavily, Janja looked back up at the cub.

"What- what's gotten into-"

Looking into the cub's eyes, his words froze- these were not the eyes he usually saw when he came face to face with his nemesis, the lion who swore to protect the Pride Lands and enforce the rules of the Circle of Life. Rather, these eyes were dilated, bloodshot, red ringing the pupils. The snarling lips were dripping with hyena blood, coming from those that he had hurt.

"You made a grave error today, Janja," he growled, his voice low and terrifying, "one that you and your clan must be punished for."

If Janja was nervous before, he was fully frightened now. "N-n-n-now, let's not be hasty, Ki-AGH!"

A paw pressing down on his throat silenced his pleas for help. "No more talking. Now, get up and fight, because this will be your last chance to."

* * *

"Ono! Any sign of where he went?" Beshte called up to the egret he was following.

"Not really!" Ono replied, his eyes scanning the ground as best he could in these conditions. "I was hoping the rain would mean that he would leave footprints which we could follow, but the ground out here has been dry for too long- it's not absorbing the rain's moisture."

"Well then, how are we supposed to find him out here?" Bunga argued. "The Outlands are like a giant maze, he could be anywhere!"

Rafiki didn't say anything, though he was sharing the same thoughts that the honey badger had voiced. 'There has to be a sign,' he thought as he ran alongside the Guard members. 'The Kings of the Past would not want this to happen, surely.' Looking ahead, he noticed that the storm was getting worse, lightning flashing repeatedly with heavy crashes of thunder. Rafiki felt a wind blowing past his ear, almost whispering to him. It was then that he realised what it meant. "There!" He called out. "He is at the centre of the storm!"

"How can you tell?" Beshte asked.

"The storm is the Kings of the Past's doing. They are trying to tell Kion that he must stop, but he cannot hear them, and if we don't get there soon, there will be nothing that we can do to stop him before it's too late!" He looked up to the egret. "Ono, lead us towards the storm!"

"Okay!" Ono flew up a bit higher so he could get a better view of the Outlands, tracing the path that they were taking in his mind. "It looks like the path curves up ahead, and if we keep going straight, we should get there!"

"Then let's not waste any time!" Beshte responded. "If what Rafiki says is true, then we have one shot at this."

"If that's the case," Bunga added with a smirk, "til the Pride Lands end!"

"LION GUARD DEFENDS!"

* * *

Kion struck hard against Janja's face, his claws leaving a large cut on his jaw and sending the hyena tumbling backwards. Like his allies, he was now badly beaten, and Kion had no injuries of any kind to show for it- no cuts, no bruises, barely even breaking a sweat. Janja, on the other hand, was panting and fearful as he dragged himself away from the lion cub.

"No!" He begged, coughing a little. "No more! Please, Kion, have mercy!"

"Mercy? MERCY?!" Kion yelled, his eyes staring like pointed daggers at the hyena. "You don't know the MEANING of mercy, let alone deserve it!" He began to slowly prowl towards the hyena. "You never showed Fuli any mercy when you pushed her off the cliff! You never show mercy when you attack us or the other innocent Pride Landers."

"N-now, wait a minute! We need to hunt, same as you! There ain't no prey in the Outlands- no zebras, no gazelles, nothing!"

"And what about Fuli? Was she just PREY to you?!"

"T-t-that was Scar's order!"

"YOU'RE THE REASON SCAR IS BACK!"

Janja merely winced and tried to back up, but Kion was having none of it. As he closed the gap between them, the rest of the Guard (sans Fuli) arrived with Rafiki.

"KION! YOU NEED TO STOP!" Ono shouted to his leader.

"YEAH, KION, HIS AIN'T LIKE YOU!" Beshte called out next.

"THEY'RE BEAT, LET'S GO!" Bunga added. Kion didn't even flinch to any of them, so Bunga turned to his friends. "Why isn't he listening?"

"I'm not sure, Lil' B."

"His head is too far consumed by his thoughts," Rafiki explained, which made them all worry.

"So, we can't do anything?" Bunga gulped.

"We have to stop him by force!" Beshte realised. He didn't like it, but he knew what he had to do. Seeing that Kion was preparing to use the Roar, he charged at the Lion. "Twinde kiboko!"

Before Kion knew it, he was tackled to the side by Beshte, though he had the wherewithal to land on his feet. "What are you doing, Beshte?!" He yelled in disbelief.

"Stopping you from making the same mistake as Scar," Beshte replied. "I don't want to hurt you, Kion, but I can't let you use the Roar in anger."

"I'm nothing like Scar! He used the Roar on his own team when they refused to go with this plan, whereas I-"

"You were going to kill them! That's not what the Circle of Life is about!"

Kion growled. "Beshte, as my friend and a member of the Guard, I refuse to use the Roar against you… but if I have to get you out of my way, then I will."

"I can't let you do that, Kion."

"Then, you leave me no choice, Beshte."

Beshte watched as Kion ran towards himself and braced himself, bending his knees slightly to distribute his weight better and shut his eyes in anticipation… but when nothing happened, he opened them again and saw that Rafiki was stood over Kion, his friend's body unconscious. Looking at the mandrill, Beshte asked, "what did you do?"

"I merely put him to sleep," Rafiki replied as he picked the cub up under his arm. "He will wake up in a few hours."

Although he didn't understand how that had happened, he nodded, then turned to the hyenas, who simply watched in shock, and stared them down seriously. "You're lucky that we were here," he told them, his voice even yet harsh. "After what happened to Fuli, I don't blame him for getting angry, and don't think in the slightest that we forgive you, but we had to protect the Circle of Life. Now, head back to Scar and tell him that if Fuli is alive, we will be coming to find her."

They merely blinked at first, so Bunga stepped forward with his arms crossed. "What are you, deaf? Get outta here!"

They didn't waste any more time and got to their feet, limping or running away depending on their injuries. Beshte smiled at Bunga. "Thanks, Lil' B."

"Hey, we should be thanking you, Big B!"

"He's right," Ono added as he landed on the hippo's shoulder. "That wasn't easy what you did, standing up to Kion even though he's our friend."

"Thanks, guys." He then turned to Rafiki. "So, what do we do now?"

"We must get him back to Pride Rock," the mjuzi explained, placing the cub on Beshte's back. "Now that Kion has calmed down, so has the storm, so it should be easier to find our way back. Once he awakens, we must talk with the prince, and decide what to do next."

"Well, then, let's go."

* * *

Janja scampered into Scar's cave, catching the formerly deceased lion by surprise. "What is it, Janja?" He asked. "I did not summon you."

"I know, and I'm sorry for barging in," he excused, "but… Kion came to attack us, and he was getting ready to kill us all. Had the rest of the Guard not stopped him, we'd be goners!"

"I see… it would appear fate smiles upon you."

Janja couldn't tell whether or not Scar was happy or annoyed by this, so he simply nodded. "Right. Well, uh, Beshte told us that they'd be coming for Fuli at some point, so I wanted to know what you wanted us to do?"

"For now, the plan remains the same- let the skinks monitor her, and if there are no developments, we will have the crocodiles relocate her in case they find her scent near her current location."

"You got it, Scar. I'll, uh, leave you be now."

"Be sure you do not disturb me again for the rest of the day." With a gulp and a nod, he was gone, allowing Scar to smirk. "Even though it didn't happen as I planned, this has actually worked out for the better- my connection with Kion allowed me to control his thoughts, but not his actions, and I still have the hyenas at my disposal." He cackled as ideas came to his mind. "This could be VERY interesting…"


	5. Ch 5- Regrets

Kion wasn't sure where he was, what time it was, what had happened- all he knew was that his head was pounding and aching. His eyes were slowly trying to open, his vision a little misty at first, but after a few seconds, things were beginning to clear up. As he gingerly tilted his head to look around, he saw that there were others there with him. "He is waking up," one of them spoke, though Kion's headache prevented him from recognising it.

"About time!" Another voice spoke, though this one was much louder, which caused his head to start pounding again. The cub squinted, before he struggled to get to his feet.

"Easy, Kion," someone else whispered in his ear. This time, the fiercest member of the Lion Guard was able to recognise it.

"Dad?" Looking up, he saw the king of the Pride Lands smiling down to him. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"You're at Pride Rock, Kion," he explained. "You were brought back by Rafiki and the others." Kion took a moment to look around and saw that, as well as his mother and sister, who were looking on with concern, he also saw that Ono, Beshte, Bunga and Rafiki were also watching on, though their expressions showed more relief that he was awake. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts," he admitted.

"The pain will not last long," Rafiki explained. "Come the morning, you will not feel it at all."

Simba gave the mjuzi an unimpressed look. "I thought I asked you to never do that to my children?"

Rafiki laughed. "You have no idea how relieved your father was whenever I did that to you! You would be running around, causing all kinds of havoc, and that little pinch would put you right to sleep!"

While everyone else had a chuckle, Kion simply looked confused. "Wait a minute… you put me to sleep?"

Everyone quickly quietened down, frowns taking over most of their faces while Rafiki looked serious as he kneeled down in front of the cub. "Kion, I need you to tell me. What do you remember of today?"

Kion began to think. "Well… we were on patrol, as usual. The jackals were chasing after the giraffes, while the hyenas were attacking the wildebeests. We split up, with Fuli and-" His eyes went wide as h remembered what had happened. "FULI! What, where-where is she, what did they do to her, what-"

"Kion, Kion!" Nala called out, immediately approaching her son. "You need to calm down!"

He felt his mother nuzzle the back of his neck to try and calm him down, but it did little to calm her. "But… when Ono and I arrived where she…s-she fell, she was gone! All I saw was… was blood…"

"We haven't found her, Kion," Beshte spoke up. "Ono told us that he found a pulse before he left to find us, and when Rafiki looked at the area, it looked as though she could have survived."

"Yes, it is true," Rafiki confirmed. "While it is miraculous, she may be able to recover from this. While her disappearance is a shame, there is still a chance. Do not lose hope." This seemed to calm Kion enough for him to quiet down again. "Now, then. You were chasing the jackals and split up. What next?"

"Well, while Ono and Fuli went after Janja, we chased the jackals. Once we had reached them, though, they just… left. Barely put up a fight." He gulped, feeling his emotions beginning to pick up again. "It was a trap. I should have realised sooner, but I didn't… and because of me, Fuli's somewhere we don't know, and she might not even be alive."

Rafiki noticed how the cub's eyes were tearing up, so with a gentle smile, he placed a hand on his shoulder. Kion looked up and his eyes met the mandrill's. "We will find her, one way or another." Kion sniffled a little, then nodded. "What happened next?"

"Well, Ono found us and told us what happened. I sent Beshte and Bunga to find you, while Ono took me to where Fuli had been. After that, it's a bit of a blur, with the last thing I can remember being… a voice, telling me that justice needed to be served and that Janja needed to pay."

Rafiki sighed. "I see."

Kion looked concerned. "Why? What happened?"

The mandrill turned to the egret. "Ono? If you wouldn't mind?"

He nodded. "Well, while we were waiting for Rafiki to arrive, you told me that… actually, it was more that you just… said out loud that you were going into the Outlands to find Janja and make him pay. I don't know how long it was, but when Rafiki and the others arrived, a storm was beginning to brew in the Outlands. I was worried that you were going to get hurt, or do something that you regret, so we ran into the Outlands to find you. The storm was getting worse, and when we found you, the entire clan of hyenas were hurt and you practically threw Janja towards them like they were nothing." He lowered his head. "You… you were going to use the Roar to…"

Kion didn't like the sound of where this was going. "To?"

"… kill them."

A gasp was all that came from the cub's mouth as he tried to wrap his head around this new information. 'But… how? I've always promised to protect the Circle of Life and not be like Scar… how did this happen?' He gulped as he prepared for his next question. "Did… did I…"

Ono shook his head. "Beshte stopped you before you could kill any of them. You were going to force him out of the way, but then Rafiki knocked you out."

Kion was relieved by this, then turned to the hippo. "Thank you, Beshte. I know that couldn't have been easy, and I'm sorry."

"It's no problem, Kion," Beshte responded, a gentle smile on his face. "I know you'd do the same, if it was me."

"Still… this shouldn't have happened, and I'm sorry that I let you down. I feel like I've failed all of you… like I've failed Fuli, too."

"Don't say that, Kion!" Bunga retorted. "You're an un-Bunga-lievable leader!"

Kion couldn't help but let out a small laugh at this. "Thanks, Bunga." He then turned back to Rafiki. "Rafiki… do you know why this happened?"

"I cannot say for sure, though I have a theory. The voice you heard… did it sound like Scar's?" While everyone else was concerned, as Kion began to replay what he heard earlier in his mind, his eyes widened upon realisation. "I thought so. Well, it seems that Scar has found a way to use his connection with you, as former leader of the Guard and as your great uncle, to speak with you through your mind, and control your thoughts. How much control he can achieve, I do not know- he may have attained full control over your actions, or he may have merely influenced you into doing your actions. Either way, you will need to learn to fight this control in the event he attempts this again." He then stood up straight. "I must be going. Tomorrow, Kion, I would like to come and see you. I may not know how Scar is doing this, but I want to help you."

"Thank you, Rafiki," Nala spoke to him. "Be safe getting home."

"Thank you, your majesty."

He gave his farewells, before heading on his way. Nala then turned to the remaining Guard for members. "It's getting late, so if you need t get home, then be safe, but you are welcome to spend the night here."

"I think I'll stay here," Beshte replied, with Bunga and Ono nodded. "Thank you, Queen Nala."

"Not at all."

"Mom?" Kion asked. "I need to step outside for a moment." His mother opened her mouth to say something. "I know it's late, but… I need to speak with someone, and I need to do it alone."

"You mean Mufasa, don't you?" Simba asked, to which his son nodded. "I understand. If it will ease your mind, then please do."

"Thanks, dad." Kion gingerly got to his feet and walked towards the cave opening. "Goodnight, guys… and I'm sorry." He left the cave and walked out to the peak of Pride Rock, where he could see the nighttime landscape of the Pride Lands in all its glory- stars being the only illumination over the kingdom that was his home. He looked up to the sky and began to feel a cool breeze blow through his fur. "Grandfather Mufasa?" He spoke to the clouds. "I need to speak with you."

The clouds began to part, allowing the sight of the head of a lion with a dark red mane, golden fur and brown eyes take form. "Kion," he spoke, his booming voice only heard by the cub. "I am glad you have chosen to speak with me."

"I needed to talk with you about today. Honestly, grandfather, I'm scared… scared that I might lose control again, and not be able to stop myself or have anyone that can stop me from doing the wrong thing. What should I do?"

The former king was hesitant in his answering, before letting out a sigh. "Kion… I cannot lie, I am disappointed in what I saw today. You allowed Scar to get in your head, and he took hold of your darker emotions." Kion ducked his head in shame. "There is no way to sever your connection with Scar. In order to combat this, you must learn to block Scar out of your mind. I am afraid that there will be no way in which I can help you to achieve this, either. This will not be easy, as your connection with him is as strong as your connection with me, and though you may not be able to fully block him out, you mustn't let him take control of you again, for the sake of the Circle of Life."

"I understand. I apologise."

"Kion, look at me." The cub did as he was told, and saw his grandfather begin to smile at him. "I only say these words because I love you, my flesh and blood, and because I am proud of you. I do not want to see what became of my brother become of you. If you do, you will not be able to speak with me like we are now, and I will not be able to guide you further."

"I know."

"Now, I must leave you. Is there anything else you would like to ask first?"

Kion thought for a moment before answering. "Do you know if Fuli is still alive?"

"Alas, I do not. My connection is only with you, so I cannot answer that question. All I can say is, as long as there is a chance, there is still hope. Do not assume the worst just yet."

"Okay. Goodnight, grandfather."

"And you, Kion."

As Mufasa's ethereal form dissipated, Kion turned and began to head towards the cave. 'How do I fight this? How do I fight the connection I have with Scar?'

"_You could try talking with me._" Kion turned around, but saw that no one was there, so he returned to the cave, and hoped to have a better idea what to do in the morning.

* * *

The next morning, in a cave somewhere in the Outlands, a cheetah began to stir. Her first thought was at how much her head hurt, aching heavily as she opened her eyes. There was a small amount of light getting in, due to the position of the sun, but she was able to tell that she was somewhere she did not recognise. "Where am I?" Steadily, she tried to get to her feet. "How did I get here?" She tried to think back to what had happened, but her mind was drawing blanks, and it only caused her pain to grow. "Why can't I remember anything?"

"You're awake," a voice spoke. She turned and saw a red skunk walking along the wall. "I'm surprised that you'd get up so soon, given your accident."

"Accident?"

"Do you not remember?"

"No. Honestly, I can't remember anything."

The skink's eyes seemed to flicker for a second. "Anything at all?" Fuli shook her head a little, not too much to prevent more pain. "Let's start simple, then. What is your name?"

"My name? It's… it's…" Her eyes widened in worry as her mind again drew a blank. "I… I don't know! Why don't I know my name?!"

"Calm down, calm down. I know someone who can help you."

Fuli smiled. "You do? Oh, thank you!"

"Of course. Now, stay here and I will make sure they can speak with you, but do not leave this cave."

"I won't. Thank you… uh…"

"Don't worry, you haven't met me before, but you can call me Shupavu."

The cheetah gingerly nodded. "Thank you, Shupavu."

"Of course." As she scuttled away, a devilish grin appeared on her face. 'Scar will be very pleased to hear this…'


	6. Ch 6- Reshaping Her Memories

Shupavu entered the cave, only to see that Janja had already arrived and was speaking with the neither dead nor alive ex-king. "Shouldn't we just finish her off before she can wake up and ruin everything?"

"Is that doubt I sense in you voice, Janja?" Scar asked. "You wouldn't be losing hope in me, would you?"

Janja's blood went cold, his eyes bugging out of his head in fright. "N-n-no, n-not at all, Scar!"

Scar cackled. "Oh, do relax, Janja! Just because I'm no longer alive, doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humour!" Janja visibly relaxed upon hearing this. "As for why we are leaving Fuli as she is for now, I currently have two plans. Should she meet her demise, we will leave her body near the border to the Pride Lands where they will find and collect her. The Lion Guard will be distraught beyond belief, lowering their Guard and providing us an opportunity to attack."

"And if she does wake up?"

"In that case, we can torture her for information- their weaknesses, their hideouts, their patrol routes. All crucial information that will benefit us in achieving our grand plan and bringing about their downfall."

"If those are your plans, Scar, you may need a third option," Shupavu spoke up, revealing her presence to the two other inhabitants of the cave as she scuttled forward.

"Should've known one of you sneaks would be listening in," Janja muttered.

"Quiet, Janja!" Scar scolded, forcing the hyena to gulp and mutter his apologies. "Now, then, Shupavu. I trust you have an update on the cheetah's condition?"

"She was rather fortunate in terms of injuries," Shupavu explained. "She's woken up, and apart from her concussion, she seems only mildly harmed, as she was able to get to her feet with little difficulty."

Scar appeared unimpressed as he glared at the hyena, causing him to shrink down and grow panicked. "Really…"

"However," this caught their attention once more, "there was one benefit that we hadn't taken into consideration. The blow to her head has caused her to lose her memory- she had no idea where she was, what had happened, or even her own name." Scar was silent, his 'eyebrows' raised in intrigue. After a moment, though, he began to grin and laughed madly, getting louder and louder, much to the confusion of both hyena and skink. "Scar? Is everything okay?"

"This is SENSATIONAL news, Shupavu! I thank you dearly for informing me!" He then turned to Janja. "And YOU!" Janja jumped, backing up a little. "I don't know how you managed it- perhaps, pure luck- but you have exceeded even my HIGHEST hopes in completing your task! Well done, Janja!"

"Uh… thanks, Scar!"

"I dare say, you may have even restored my faith in you and your clan!"

Janja began to smile at this. "Well, I aim to please you! Now, since Fuli's got amnesia, what's the plan?"

"Why, it's simple, my canine ally. We will reintroduce her to the world, only this time, she will see things from _our _perspective." He quickly turned to the skink. "Shupavu, have your skinks inform the crocodiles and the jackals of the new plan. They must treat Fuli as though she is one of our own, then you and the crocs will bring her to me. I believe that I should have a talk with her. Also, inform the jackals that it is their turn to hunt." He turned back to Janja. "As for you, Janja. You will inform hyenas of the plan, then come back to me. While I am confident that Fuli can recover her strength, she will need to be at peak physical condition for what I have planned, so I will require you to help her train once I feel she is ready."

"Yes, Scar!" They both responded, before heading on their way.

Once they were gone, Scar sighed contentedly. "Ushari!" He called, not having to wait long for the cobra to arrive. "I have a mission for you."

"What is it, Scar?" He hissed.

"I need you to sneak into the Pride Lands and If day some vines for me, suitable for wrapping up the injury that Fuli has sustained to her head."

Ushari, having not heard the previous conversation, was surprised by this. "I see. What development has brought this to your mind, might I ask?"

Rather than be offended by being questioned by his second in command, Scar smugly grinned. "We have a new plan. One that will hopefully see the Lion Guard turn against each other, and bring their collapse from within…"

* * *

Back at Pride Rock, Kion was just beginning to wake from his slumber. Unlike the previous evening, he had no headache this time, and had little difficulty opening his eyes. Fluttering them open, he looked and saw that it was much brighter out than he had expected. 'Huh?' He pondered. As he looked around, he saw that his friends and his family, except for his mother, were nowhere to be found. 'Where is everyone?'

As he groggily got to his feet, Nala looked over and smiled. "You're awake," she greeted. "How did you sleep?"

"Uh… Okay?" She chuckled at his sleepy and confused tone. "What time is it?"

"I think it's just gone midday."

Kion's eyes went wide. He looked towards the opening of the cave and was able to see the sun was pretty much at its highest position, confirming his mother's estimate. "Hevi kabisa… How did I sleep for so long?" He turned to his mother. "Mom, why didn't anyone wake me?"

"Well, usually, you get yourself up for patrol. Also, Rafiki wanted to meet with you here, rather than you go to him." Her smile then dropped, turning into a frown as she looked down to the ground. "Though, after yesterday… your father and I decided we didn't want you to go on patrol today." Kion wasn't sure how he felt about this. Part of him was hurt that his parents didn't want him to fulfil his role in the Circle of Life, the one he had been chosen to do by the Kings of the Past; part of him was angry that they didn't seem to trust him; part of him was confused as to why she had told him this. He was still partly tired, and this rush of emotions was causing him to feel dizzy, so he stumbled backward, falling into a seated position, much to Nala's alarm. "Kion!"

"I'm fine," he quickly assured. "I just… I don't understand. Leading the Lion Guard, it's not just my duty but a privilege."

"I know, sweetie, and you have done so well with that. You have made your father and I so proud, and I know that you have done your home justice. You have to understand, though- after everything that happened yesterday, we were so terribly worried for you, and how much off a toll everything that happened had taken on your well-being. I'm genuinely frightened that the stress of everything will get to you, and I don't want to see my son suffer like that. You mean too much to me, Kion." He sat there, looking down at his paws, trying to take in her sentiments, while Nala looked at her son. She knew he wouldn't be happy when she told him, and she could tell that he wasn't taking it well. "I'm sorry, Kion. I know this isn't what you want, but as your mother, I have to put your well-being before anything else. You understand that, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I understand."

She noted, however, that he didn't look at her when he said this. "I hope you're not mad at me, Kion. I know it isn't what you wanted, but-" When she stopped speaking and listened closely, she heard a faint sobbing, causing her to become concerned. "Kion?" Walking up to him and using her paw to gently lift his head up by his chin, her heart broke at the sight of her only son, her second and youngest child, with tears pouring from his eyes. This was not the first time she had seen him cry, of course, but it was the fact his eyes were diverted away from her, almost desperate to avoid looking at her, that truly captured how he felt. "Kion…"

"I'm not mad at you," he replied, his voice almost a whisper. He used his paw to remove hers from under his chin, turning to the side. "I'm just… I was looking forward to it today. I was hoping I could use patrol to take my mind off of… everything that happened."

She frowned. "Oh, Kion…"

She leaned forward and began to nuzzle him, but he shrugged her off, much to her shock. "You don't understand… after I was finished talking to Grandfather Mufasa, and I was going to sleep, I kept telling myself, 'maybe this will all be over in the morning. You'll wake up, and everything will go back to the way it was. Fuli will be back, I won't have almost made the same mistake as Scar, and everything will be as it should be'." He looked down at his paws, seeing his extended claws, the ones that had beaten up the hyenas badly than ever before, and had almost been used against his teammate. "I hoped so desperately for that to be true, I WANTED that to be true, NEARLY NEEDED it… but I knew that couldn't be the case. And now, thanks to me, I don't know if Fuli is alive or dead, or where she is. Beshte, Bunga and Ono probably think I'm losing myself, and even if we do find Fuli, none of them will ever likely look at me the same." His muzzle had been scrunched up, bearing his teeth in anger as he spoke, but now, as the tears continued to fall, they fell into a look of anguish. "I'm ashamed of what I did yesterday… but I don't know if I can stop it from happening again. Maybe I don't deserve to be in charge of the Guard."

"Stop." He looked and saw that she was forcing back her own tears, a look of distraught anger on her face. Nala hated seeing her son like this- hearing him talk with such a lack of self confidence, berating himself like he was worthless. "You are more than just your role, Kion. You are kind and thoughtful, and you have the capability of showing shame and remorse for your actions, and you don't need to put yourself down like this. I am not only speaking as your mother, but as the Queen of the Pride Lands- you were chosen to be the Lion Guard's leader for a reason, and there is not a single lion alive that could fill that role better than you have."

They were silent for a few moments, Kion's tears no longer coming out, but he still looked unconfident as he sighed. "Thanks… but I don't know if I can believe that right now."

Nala wanted to speak again, but she was cut off as she heard Rafiki call, "hello!" The jovial mandrill quickly appeared at the entrance to the cave. "Hope I am not interrupting anything."

"Hello, Rafiki," Nala greeted, politely but quietly. "We were just… talking."

"I see." He walked over to the cub, who had wiped away his tears. "How are you today, Kion?"

"Fine," he bluntly responded, receiving a hearty chuckle in response.

"I'll grab some lunch for you while you're busy, Kion," Nala told her son, then walked over to him and tried to nuzzle him, but he didn't lean in to return it, so she sadly sighed. She turned to Rafiki and whispered to him, "please help him." He could tell how much anguish was behind her words, so he nodded, before she turned back to Kion. "I'll be back soon." As she walked out of the cave, she took one last glance back as Rafiki sat down, and thought to herself, 'please be okay, Kion.'

* * *

"I can't believe we're supposed to play nice with that stinkin' cheetah!" Goigoi, a male adult jackal, complained, as the jackals and hyenas all conversed outside of Scar's cave.

"Does Scar really expect us to be happy about this?" Reirei added. "That cheetah and her friends have cost us more meals than we have claws on our feet!"

"I know, and I ain't too happy about it either," Janja agreed, "but Scar's gotta have some plan behind it, so we've gotta play along."

She scoffed in response. "You do good one time, and you think you're somehow his favourite?"

"What I think is, if I tell Scar how I really feel about this, then he's gonna turn me into a hyena barbecue, and I don't think he'd mind jackal either." They all shuddered as he said this, before he looked out of the corner of his eye and saw the crocodiles approaching, along with the skinks and Fuli. "Alright, Reirei, follow my lead. Goigoi, everyone else, don't say a word." He turned and walked towards the cheetah, forcing a smile on his face. Reirei did the same as she followed closely behind. "Hey, Fuli! Glad to see you're awake!" He greeted, doing his best to sound convincing. "We were worried we'd lose you!"

"How are you feeling… _dear_?" Reirei asked, trying not to gag as she said the last word.

"Um… not too bad, but my head is hurting." She looked between the two for a moment. "I'm sorry, but… who are you?"

Janja frowned, looking upset. "Guess Shupavu was right. That knock to your head really did screw with your memory." He quickly turned it back into a smirk. "Well, allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Janja, and I lead the rest of the hyenas."

"And I'm Reirei, the leader of the jackals."

"Oh! Well, it's nice to meet you both… again," Fuli greeted back, giving a nervous chuckle.

"Don't worry about it!" Janja responded. "Anyway, we'll let you get to know us better later. Right now, _he _needs to speak with you, and it's probably important."

"Oh, you're right. I'll see you later then."

"Right this way, Fuli," Shupavu explained. The cheetah happily followed, oblivious to the looks of disgust from the hyena and jackal that she had just spoken to. As she entered the cave, noticing just how hot it was, the lava started to bubble, until it shot up, forming the head of a lion once more.

"Hello, Fuli."


	7. Ch 7- Reintroduction

Fuli's eyes went wide at the sight before her- a floating, fiery lion's head, with glowing eyes and a grin that seemed almost… sinister, was talking to her. She wasn't sure whether what she was seeing was real, and if it was, whether or not she should run away. Scar, however, simply smiled. "You seem frightened of me, Fuli," he said, his voice adopting an unusually caring tone to it. "I assure you, my dear, that you have no reason to be scared of me."

Although she still wasn't certain, she felt her shoulders relax a little. "S-Sorry… I just… wasn't expecting this," she admitted nervously.

He gave a hearty chuckle at this. "No worries, Fuli. If memory serves me correctly, you reacted quite similarly when I first introduced myself to you." The head seemed to lean forward a little. "Now, from what Shupavu has informed me, you are struggling to remember a lot of things right now, such as your identity. Is that correct?" She nodded. "Why don't you tell me how much you know so far?"

"Well… other than my name from what the others have called me, nothing, I'm afraid."

"I understand, and there is no need to worry. In that case, let me start small. My birth name is Taka, but for the longest time, I have gone by the name, Scar."

"Scar?" It was then that she noticed the scar on his left eye, and winced a little. "Oh… sorry, I don't mean to stare."

"No matter, I have received worse reactions, and I have learned to live with it. Besides, what's more important is that I help you find your memory. I'm sure that you have some questions that you would like to ask?"

"Yeah, actually. First of all, where are we?"

"I assume you mean this area, rather than this particular cave? In that case, we are in the Outlands. This area is our home, though it has been mine for longer than it has yours."

Fuli tilted her head here. "So… I didn't always live here?"

"No, and neither did I… at least, not in my previous lifetime." This only confused her further, causing him to drop his smile. "You see, Fuli, there is a land that borders here known as the Pride Lands, the most prosperous and thriving kingdom in Africa, and I used to be king there. Sadly, during my reign, the kingdom began to die, with wildlife leaving, plantlife withering away and all water sources drying up. Myself and the remaining lions stayed in the hopes of restoring the area to its former glory, but it was no easy feat, and I feared the Pride Lands would die out forever. This would not be the case, but I would not live long enough to see it thrive again. My nephew, who had run away when he was a child after causing his father's death, returned to claim his throne." An anger began to grow in his voice, his eyes narrowing as he spoke. "He deceived my people, made them believe _I _killed his father, my older brother, so that I could have his throne, and they sent me to my death! Now, he's on the throne, with his wife and their two heirs, Kiara and Kion."

Fuli's eyes widened for a second. "Kion? That name… it sounds familiar…"

Scar sighed. "If it were up to me, that scoundrel would be wiped from memory forever. This is the part of the story where you come in, Fuli. You see, you were the fastest in all of the Pride Lands, your speed unmatchable by any animal, whether they travelled by land, sea or sky. Kion, the younger of the two heirs, one day found that he was bestowed with the power to lead the Lion Guard, a team made up of the fiercest, fastest, bravest, strongest and keenest of sight. News travelled fast that he was assembling a team, and he approached you, saying that you were to join his team, given your speed."

Fuli was listening intently. "Did I join him?"

"Indeed. You were proud to protect your home, and willingly joined him." She smiled at this, feeling said pride in her chest. "Sadly, you were unaware of his true intentions." Immediately, her smile dropped. "The rest of your team were made up of Bunga, the bravest; Ono, the keenest of sight; and Beshte, the strongest. For a while you worked together to protect the Pride Lands against all threats, including Janja's hyenas and Reirei's jackals."

"But… Janja and Reirei told me that I was on their side."

"You are NOW, dear Fuli, but that was before you knew the truth. Now, as time went by, Kion found himself being jealous of your usefulness, as despite the fact he wielded the Roar of the Elders, the most powerful Roar known to all lions, he envies your speed and your ability to do whatever it took to protect your home. That jealousy festered into hatred, and so, like his father did to me, he convinced the rest of the Guard that you had to go, so while on patrol, they framed you for a mass murder on a pack of gazelles, and the king, being the _loving _father, took his side. He banished you to the Outlands, and threatened to end your life if you ever returned."

"How do you know all of this? And… how are you even alive?"

"First, I know all this because I too was once leader of the Guard, and as such, I have a connection with him. I tried to convince Kion that it was wrong, but his heart had grown too dark. As for my return to… well, not quite to life, but to the form I now have, I owe that to Janja and yourself. You see, when you had nowhere else to go, Janja took pity on you, and allowed you to stay with him, if you helped him. You see, just like you, they were unfairly banished from the Pride Lands, for something they had no control over. You worked together and managed to capture a staff belonging to the royal mjuzi, which you brought here, and threw into the lava. That was what allowed my return."

"I see. So, what happened then?"

"Since my return, you, the hyenas, the crocodiles and the jackals have been carrying out my orders, so that we may reclaim the Pride Lands, the home that is rightfully ours, and give it a ruler that it can be proud of. Out here, there isn't much food, and our watering hole is quite small, especially during the dry season, which we are currently amidst, but the Pride Landers show us no pity."

Fuli scowled, feeling anger towards those that had 'wronged' her. "We will make them pay, and justice will be done."

Scar smirked gleefully. "I'm glad your spirit hasn't been forgotten. For now, though, you must rest. After a small… 'invasion', shall we say, into the Pride Lands, Kion threw you over the cliff that marks the border, causing that painful wound to your head. Frankly, it's a miracle that you are alive."

Fuli winced, feeling the pain return a little upon mentioning it. "Doesn't feel like a miracle."

Scar chuckled. "Come now, Fuli. You're lucky you didn't break any of your bones, and your memory will return to you in time." 'I hope not,' he mentally noted, before he continued. "Tomorrow, we shall see how you feel, and if you are ready, then we will give you a training session to see how your accident has affected your abilities. And after that…"

"We go after the Pride Lands," Fuli finished.

Scar nodded, as a drum-like beat filled the air. "Exactly."

**Scar: Though we come from different generations**

**We both share a common enemy**

**My dear, let's exercise those aggravations**

**All you have to do is listen to me**

**Fuli: Those Pride Land snobs tried taking my life from me**

**An act they will soon learn to regret**

**Though my memories so far escape me**

**There is no reason for me to fret**

**Both: We will rise up and take back what is ours!**

**We will rise up, upon their final hours!**

**They turned their backs on us**

**But no need to cry, because**

**We will rise up and take back what is ours!**

"You and I think much alike, Fuli," Scar told the cheetah. "Don't worry, we'll get you back to top shape."

**Scar:** **We'll build you up to physical perfection**

**Make you a force they can not deny**

**Heal the wounds you received from rejection**

**Make them fear to look you in the eye**

**Fuli: The Lion Guard shall fall down before me**

**Tumble one by one to meet their doom**

**And if they think that they can overpower me**

**They will have no choice but to make room**

**Both: We will rise up and take back what is ours!**

**We will rise up, upon their final hours!**

**They turned their backs on us**

**But no need to cry, because**

**We will rise up and take back what is ours!**

**Fuli: And thought I thought them friends**

**I will make them meet their ends**

**Make their final moments full of agony!**

"Yes, Fuli! That's it!"

**Fuli: They'll pay for what they've done!**

**Their lives will fall just like the sun!**

**And a new dawn will rise upon our victory!**

**Both: We will rise up and take back what is ours!**

**We will rise up, upon their final hours!**

**Fuli: They turned their backs on us**

**Scar: But no need to cry, because**

**Both: We will rise up and take back what is ours!**

As the beat faded, Scar noticed that Fuli was wobbling a little. "A bit too much excitement too soon, I see?" He jested.

She gave a weak chuckle. "Yeah. Guess I overdid it," she admitted. "Sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You were merely releasing your emotions. If we did not do that every now and then, we would cease to function in the way we need to." Looking past the cheetah, he saw Ushari slithering in, a series of vines and leaves in his mouth. "Ah, Ushari! You have arrived at the perfect time! Fuli, this is Ushari. He is my second in command, as he leads the skinks, who are capable of infiltrating the Pride Lands undetected."

"Nice to meet you… again, I guess," she greeted.

"And you, Fuli," the cobra replied after putting down the leaves and vines. "Forgive me for not arriving sooner, but Scar requested I gather some supplies to help your wound." Before she could ask what he meant, he took one of the vines and slithered around her body to wrap it around the wound, tying it tightly enough to stay on, which made Fuli wince a little. "That should prevent any infection. The leaves I brought with me are to ease the pain. I managed to take them from the Pride Land's mjuzi, so I trust they will help."

"Thank you, Ushari," she told him, before moving to eat some of the leaves.

"Of course. While they won't aid you right away, they will over time, so be patient and take them a few at a time." She nodded, before he turned to Scar. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Scar?"

"I need you to inform the hyenas it is their turn to hunt," Scar ordered. "Other than that, I do not currently require anything of you."

"Of course, my liege."

As Ushari slithered away, Scar turned to Fuli. "As for you, it is important you rest. While I don't know if there is any food left from their previous meal, I am sure Kiburi will lead you to our… albeit modest Watering Hole."

"Thank you, Scar."

She gave him a little bow, which made him grin. "Of course. You may leave." She walked away, leaving Scar to muse to himself. 'The wonders of the mind,' he thought to himself, 'so capable of adapting, once given a clean slate. Now that Fuli is on our side, it looks like our victory should be assured… almost, that is.' His grin turned sinister. 'Perhaps I should speak to my nephew soon… I _have _missed him so…'


	8. Ch 8- The Day After Disaster

Rafiki and Kion were sat at the peak of Pride Rock, the cub looking out over the landscape of the kingdom that was his home, per the mjuzi's instructions. "What I want you to do is breathe deeply," he told the cub. Kion nodded, breathing deeply in and out as Rafiki told him. "As you continue to do so, focus on what you can see." Kion's eyes began to look over the scenery, trying to figure out what Rafiki was asking of him. "Now, tell me- what do you see?"

Kion's face scrunched up, confused as to the question. "Um… the Pride Lands?"

"Well, yes, but more specifically- how much can you see?"

This did little to clear things up, as Kion almost immediately looked to the mandrill. "I don't understand what you're trying to show me."

Rafiki sighed, then gestured for Kion to look back. "What you are looking at is what the light of the sun allows you to look upon. Your grandfather, much like his father before him, and most likely many generations before that, had a saying- 'everything that the light touches is your kingdom'. Has your father ever mentioned this to you?"

"I… think so. Though, I think he might have talked to Kiara more about that than me."

"Yes, I suppose, given that she is next in line to the throne." He shook his head to get back on track. "My point is, that although it is what the light touches that determines where your kingdom lies, that does not mean that your kingdom is just light. For every light, there must be darkness, such as the shadows that the light casts. However, while light cannot exist with darkness, it is possible for darkness to overcome light, and exist independently." As he said this, he pointed over to the right, where Kion could see a place that was much darker, covered in shadows. "Over there is the Elephant Graveyard, a land that is constantly shrouded by darkness. It receives some light, but not enough to balance the darkness, and so, life can not survive there. There used to be hyenas there during Scar's reign, but they had to venture elsewhere after he was overthrown, which is why they now live in the Outlands."

"But… the light touches the Outlands, yet there isn't much life there either," Kion argued. "That's why they keep invading the Pride Lands, because there's no food there."

"You are correct, young cub. However, that is because the hyena's hearts, much like the Elephant Graveyard, are shrouded in darkness. That is why they follow Scar and believe that they are right."

"Because Scar's heart also fell to darkness," Kion finished, before sullenly thinking, 'just like I almost did.'

"Correct again, which brings me to why we are here." Kion looked back at the elder, noticing his now serious expression. "As regrettable as it is, I am sure you know that you cannot conquer Scar. He will always have a connection with you, much like the one you have with Mufasa."

"I know, and I don't want to conquer him, or the darkness. I just don't want to be like Scar and let my heart grow dark."

"In order to do so, you must learn to balance your light with that darkness. You must find a way to control your connection with Scar, so that he can not control you."

"But… how do I do that?"

"That is for you to find out. However, I can tell you that the first step is to figure out how to engage that connection."

Kion's eyes widened upon hearing this. "You mean…"

Rafiki nodded. "You need to learn how to contact Scar."

* * *

Over on the outskirts of the Pride Lands, the hyenas were skulking in, creeping into the bushes one by one. Poking his head out, Janja's eyes glistened as he caught sight of a herd of impalas, licking his lips as he thought about being successful in catching the prey.

"Alright, boys," he whispered to the others. "Hope you're in the mood for impala!"

"But, Janja!" Cheezi spoke up. "What about when the Lion Guard show up?"

"Keep it down, Furbrain! Anyway, that shouldn't be a problem. Fuli's on our side, and after Kion…" He shuddered as he remembered what had happened the day before. "Well, you know. After that, I doubt he and his buddies are on the same page."

"Uh, Janja?" Chungu spoke up.

"Alright, get ready. When I say so, we attack."

"Janja."

"On my go. Ready?"

"Janja!"

He growled, snapping his head towards his ally. "What is it?!"

"It's the Lion Guard!"

Janja rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we're talking about the Lion Guard."

"No! Over there!" Janja looked where Chungu was looking, and sighed as he saw Ono, Beshte and Bunga approaching the herd. "Does this mean we ain't gonna be having any impalas?"

"Hang on a second, boys," Janja ordered, an idea forming in his mind. "There's only three of them, which means the prince is back at Pride Rock."

"Then let's attack now! If we take them out now, Scar'll praise us like heroes!" Another hyena suggested.

"What are you, stupid?! If we mess with Scar's plan, he'll eat us alive!" His eyes turned back to the Guard, a curiosity glossing over them. "Nah, let's be smart about this. Perhaps we can find out why the Prince ain't patrolling today."

So, they decided to remain hidden in the bushes and listen in, while the Guard approached the herd. The leader of the impalas noticed this and turned to greet them. "Hello, Lion Guard!" He said. "What brings you out here?"

"We just came to see if everything was okay out here," Beshte explained.

"Yes, everything has been okay out here. Things have been quiet, though some of my herd were a little spooked by the storm yesterday." As he spoke, he noticed just how many members of the Guard there were. "Say, aren't there usually more of you?"

Ono and the others frowned. "It's… been a rough couple of days. Fuli's… missing, and… well, Kion isn't taking it that well."

"I see. Well, I hope you find Fuli soon. We definitely appreciate all that she's done for us, and the rest of you."

"Thank you."

After a few more words and goodbyes, the Guard began to walk away, allowing the impalas to return to grazing. It wasn't long before Bunga turned to Beshte and asked, "Hey, Big B?" The hippo turned to the honey badger. "Do you think Kion's gonna be okay?"

Beshte stopped walking, followed by Bunga, with Ono flying down to the ground. "I'll be honest, Lil' B," he answered. "I'm not sure."

Bunga's eyes instantly showed his disbelief at the response. "But… Kion HAS to, right?! I mean, he's the reason we became the Lion Guard to begin with!"

Ono looked sympathetic, hearing the hint of pain behind the Bravest's voice. "Bunga, I know what you mean, and I want Kion to be able to recover, but… after yesterday, I'm concerned for him. That was the closest we've ever seen Kion to the edge, and if Rafiki hadn't put Kion to sleep, or if Beshte hadn't stood up to him, then he might have gone over." He looked down meekly. "Truth be told… I'm scared of what will happen if he does."

Both Beshte and Bunga were surprised to hear this, given that Ono was always the calmest and most collected member of the Guard. "How come you've never mentioned that before?" Beshte asked.

Ono sighed. "I didn't think too much about it before yesterday's events. Kion's always known the importance of his role, and how he needs to keep the fate of the Circle of Life in mind. Yesterday, though, he was possessed. Whether it was his anger or Scar, I don't know, but… that wasn't the same Kion I know."

Bunga only became more disheartened the more that Ono spoke. "So… Kion's not gonna recover?"

Beshte frowned. Even though he had the same fear, hearing it from Bunga made it seem like all hope was lost. "Don't say that, Lil' B. We don't know for certain, sure, but that doesn't mean we should give up hope. It just means… don't get _too_ hopeful." He couldn't help but notice that Bunga wasn't reassured by this, so he sighed. "If it was any of us in his position, Kion would still hope for us." He turned to the egret. "Right, Ono?"

"Y-Yeah… he would." Ono then turned to Bunga. "So we should do the same for him."

Bunga looked back and forth between the two of them, noticing the gentle smiles they gave him, and he returned them with one of his own. "You're right. Thanks, guys."

"Hakuna matata, Lil' B," Beshte replied.

Bunga chuckled a little. "Hakuna matata, Big B."

With that, they began to walk away, none of them aware of the eyes gazing at them the whole time or the wide grin spreading on Janja's face. 'So, it looks like the Lion Guard ain't exactly got a lot of faith in each other right now,' he mentally noted. 'I bet Scar will be happy to hear about that.'

"Janja, when are we gonna eat?" Cheezi complained, his stomach growling loud enough to hear.

Janja rolled his eyes. "Zip it, Furbrain!" He scolded, setting his eyes on the impalas once more. "We'll let the Lion Guard move ahead a bit first, and once we're in the clear," his eyes flickered with desire, "chow time."

* * *

Fuli stood in the middle of the Outlands, just staring at the dusty, cracked, dry ground beneath her paws. She felt the dry breeze blowing through her fur, feeling every bit of dust and rock that it blew against her sides, and she scoffed. 'Kion thinks he's so almighty,' she pondered. 'He And his family sentence us to this life, only so that they don't have to have it for themselves! And yet they call themselves royalty. Some king he'd be.' And yet, as she said this, she heard something faint in the back of her mind, which made her feel uneasy. 'Why does something not seem right about this?'

"Fuli!" She heard a familiar voice call, and as she turned around, she saw Reirei approaching her. "There you are! Scar sent me to see how you were doing, but you weren't in the cave."

"I know," Fuli admitted, feeling slightly bad for not telling anyone. "I just got bored waiting in there, felt like I needed to stretch my legs."

Reirei smirked, shaking her head. "You always were someone who had to be moving about all the time. Always had to take things fast, could never be in one place for too long."

Fuli tilted her head. "I thought you didn't know me that well?"

"I, uh, I didn't," She stuttered, clearing her throat. "Truth be told, you and I never did speak much. Then again, it makes sense. I've always stuck to my pack, and you've always been the solitary type. From what the vultures told me, one of the first times they met you was when you were on your own. You were still with the Guard then, and they were allies of Janja's at the time. Have been longer than any of the rest of us. Apparently, you'd pushed yourself too much, or something."

"Huh. I guess that makes sense… kind of." Fuli took a moment before asking her next question. "So… are you the only female in your pack?"

Reirei blinked, caught off guard by the question. "Uh… well, I do have my daughter, Kijana, but other than her, yeah. Why?"

"Well, I thought that maybe, since my memories are still fuzzy, we could use this as a chance to… reconnect, you know? I mean, Janja's clan are all boys, Kiburi's float are all male, and most of your pack are male too. There is Shupavu and some of the skinks, but…" She moves forward a bit to whisper to the jackal. "Don't tell them, but they creep me out a bit."

Reirei laughed. "I wouldn't dare tell them, so relax. If anything, they creep me out too." They shared a laugh, before Reirei noticed Fuli Looking a bit dizzy. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a bit lightheaded. I think I'll head back and rest some more, see if any of the leaves Ushari found are left."

"You do that… dear."

Fuli nodded. "Thanks, Reirei. I'm glad I'm not the only girl out here."

"Well, you're right about us reconnecting. Us girls should stick together, you know?" Fuli nodded again, before walking away. As soon as she was far enough ahead, Reirei's smile morphed into a face of disgust. 'Ugh, how much longer do I have to play nice to her?!' She mentally moaned, throwing her head up in frustration. 'If I have to call her dear one more time, I'm going to throw up!' Sighing, she shook her head and took a deep breath. 'Take it easy, Reirei. This will all pay off eventually. We'll build her trust in us, we'll take over the Pride Lands and be rid of the Lion Guard once and for all,' a smirk grew on her face as she stared in the direction Fuli had gone, 'the cheetah included...'


	9. Ch 9- The Night's Uncertainties

As the sun was starting to set in the Outlands, Fuli, the hyenas and the jackals were enjoying the meat of the impalas that Janja's clan had secured earlier. Fuli had asked why the crocodiles weren't eating with them, to which Reirei had explained that they preferred to keep to themselves. As they ate their share- which was only just enough to go around, given the sheer number of them- Janja took a chance between mouthfuls to speak. "You did good today, boys!" He commended his clan, licking his lips. "This is the best we've eaten in a good few days, and things are looking up for us now!"

Fuli scoffed. "Maybe for you, but I wouldn't exactly say so for me," the cheetah retorted, gesturing to her vine bandaging with her paw. "After yesterday, I'm having to start from scratch."

"Well, if you're building on nothing, then the only way is up!" The hyenas and jackals shared a laugh at this, while Fuli just rolled her eyes, a mix of amusement and irritation on her face. "Ah, lighten up, Fuli! Besides, like I told Scar, while we were hunting earlier, we managed to get the inside scoop."

This captured everyone's attention, causing them to temporarily stop eating. "Inside information?" Reirei asked. "Regarding what?"

"Well, the little prince wasn't on patrol today, and-"

"Yeah, he never did his patrol!" Chungu butted in, much to Janja's chagrin. "It was just the hippo, the bird and the honey badger!"

"And they didn't sound too confident in Kion either!" Cheezi added. "After what he did yesterday-"

"Zip it, Furbrains!" Janja scolded, causing them to shrink back. "I'm the one telling the story here!"

"Wait. Are they saying that the others didn't agree with a Kion sending me over the cliff?" Fuli asked, her head tilted with a look of confusion on her face. "I thought they believed I slaughtered that herd, which was why I was banished."

Janja glared at his comrades for their slip up, causing them to whimper fearfully, before Janja sighed heavily and returned his focus to Fuli. "Well… there's a bit more to it than that. You see, after we saved you following your fall, we brought you back so you could… rest up, you know?"

"Uh Huh…"

"Well, after that, Kion came here by himself and was attacking us. Usually, he just tosses us around to keep up the appearance that he's the good guy and all, but this… he wanted us dead. He was drawing blood, and he was getting ready to use the Roar, only this time to kill us."

"Then how come you're still here?" Goigoi bluntly asked, irking the hyena leader, but he held his tongue.

"Because Beshte and the others stood up to Kion, and the monkey put him out cold, then they left. If that hadn't happened, we'd be dead as… well, this juicy meat we got right here."

"So… Beshte and the others realised what he was doing was wrong?"

"I guess so."

This seemed to give Fuli hope, her eyes seemingly lighting up. "Then… maybe they can help us! If they realised Kion has gone evil, then maybe they could realise that I never killed that herd, and that he needs to be taken down." Everyone else looked doubtful at the idea, causing her hope to die down. "What?"

"I don't think they were doing it because they saw the light, Fuli," Shupavu spoke up, scuttling her way through the crowd of hyenas to approach the cheetah. "They've been under Kion's influence too long for that to happen."

"But… if they stopped Kion from-"

"They didn't do it for you." Fuli flinched, surprised by the skink's harsh tone. "They did it for themselves. If Kion uses the Roar of the Elders for evil, then he loses the Roar, and his connection with the Kings of the Past. Put simply, the Lion Guard lose the powers they were given by the Mark of the Guard… the same one on your shoulder."

Fuli glanced to the shoulder that had her mark. "Then… if Kion and the others banished me, why do I still have the Mark? And what will happen to me if he does use the Roar for evil?"

"No one knows. That's why we need to take him down before he can."

She was silent for a moment, and though she had a couple of questions plaguing her mind, she ended up nodding. "You're right." A small yawn escaped her lips. "I think that I'm gonna call it a night. See you tomorrow, everyone."

They all said their goodnights as the cheetah walked away. Once she was out of earshot, Janja whipped his head towards Cheezi and Chungu. "You two Furbrains better start watching your mouths," he snarled viciously. "She figures things out, and we'll be the first ones Scar'll take it out on… so _don't screw this up._"

They both gulped, quietly responding, "yes, Janja," before everyone returned to eating.

* * *

Back at Pride Rock, the sun was disappearing beneath the bottom of the horizon, the sky now a mix of blues and pinks, with the moon becoming more and more visible. Kion was sat at the peak, looking down. After the past couple of days, his thoughts were swirling in his head. His family had all headed into the cave to try and get some rest, but the young prince was not ready to try and sleep, and he feared that he would not be able to if he did, so he decided to try and organise his thoughts.

"Grandfather," he spoke, though to himself rather than the sky, "I wish I could ask you for help. Honestly, I know I need to face this alone, but I don't know if I'm strong enough. Somehow, I'm supposed to make contact with Scar, and my biggest fear is that if I do, he'll use his connection to take over my mind, and make me make the same mistake he did." His face fell. "I hope I can do you proud… and I'm sorry if I can't."

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Kion turned and saw Ono, gently flying down and landing in front of him. "Honestly, I wasn't sure if you'd still be awake by now."

"Not really sure I'll be able to sleep, if I'm being honest," Kion admitted. "How was patrol today?"

"Good for the most part," his beak formed a frown, "though, right after we had left the impalas' grazing grounds, the hyenas attacked. They lost a few of them before we could get there."

This only made Kion feel more guilty. 'I should have been there,' he mentally scolded himself. "Sorry I wasn't there to help."

"It's not your fault, Kion. We can't always save everyone." He shook his head, before looking back at the prince. "How are you feeling, after… Well, everything?"

Kion sighed. "Uncertain, among other things… I'm ashamed at myself for letting this happen, scared that I might not see Fuli again, and that I might turn into Scar, angry that I wasn't able to do anything… but above all else, I feel lost. I kind of know what I have to do, but not how, and I don't think there's anyone that can help me."

Ono felt sorry for his friend, his voice showing how pained and confused he was by everything. "I wish I knew."

Neither said anything for a while, until Kion asked, "Ono? You and the others, Bunga and Beshte… what do you think of me?" Ono blinked his eyes open, surprised by the question. "After everything that's happened, I'm just… very conscious that you guys might not think of me in the same way as you did."

Ono took a moment to think about how to respond, his mind arguing about whether to be optimistic or realistic, before settling on honesty. "We're… worried about you, and we're not sure if or how well you'll recover from this. We're hopeful, and I do think you can, but… Kion, that's the closest we've ever seen you go to that place. If not for Beshte and Rafiki, we'd have lost you. We don't want that to happen to you."

Kion nodded, taking it in- he didn't like hearing it, but he appreciated it. "Thanks, Ono."

"Of course." He then took to the air again. "I need to head back. Just… take care, okay?"

"I will. You do the same." Ono nodded back, before taking flight and heading home. Kion, feeling tired after the conversation, yawned a little. He walked back into the cave, seeing his family resting peacefully, before finding a space by himself to lie down, close his eyes, and let his mind drift to sleep.

* * *

_Kion and the Guard were slowly walking through the Outlands. It had been a couple of days since Fuli had been taken by the hyenas, and they were looking to get her back to the Pride Lands, but in order to do that, they had to find her. "Ono! Are you absolutely certain you didn't see her?" Kion asked._

"_Sorry, Kion," he replied, flying overhead. "Fuli's fur would make her stand out- she wouldn't have been hard to spot."_

_Kion groaned. 'Where could she be?' He pondered to himself. 'We've been searching for a couple of hours now, and still nothing- no Fuli, no hyenas, no jackals…"_

_As he thought this, a cacophonous cackling filled the air, one the Guard knew all too well. Before they knew what was happening, the hyenas had surrounded them, with more watching on from higher ground, all with eerily eager grins on their faces._

"_It's about time you came out here!" Janja taunted. "We were thinking you'd never show yourselves again!"_

"_Janja!" Kion called out, the cub in no mood for games. "Let Fuli go, now!"_

"_Well, we'd love to do that, Kion, but we can't! See, she waited for you guys to come and save her, patient as can be! Thing is, she couldn't wait that long."_

_There was a pause before Kion spoke again. "What do you mean, she couldn't wait?"_

_He sneered at the lion cub. "What do you think? You didn't really expect her to survive the fall, did you?!"_

_They all gasped, but while Ono, Beshte and Bunga were showing shock, Kion's face reflected pure hatred. "What did you do to her?!" When he simply began cackling again, Kion's teeth flared, as his body seemed to act on his own. He felt as his muscles began to tense, his claws digging into the rough dirt beneath his paws, while a familiar feeling began to form in the back of his throat. 'Wait… no, no, not like this!' He thought in his mind, as his body prepared to use the Roar. 'No! I can't use the Roar like this, I WON'T do it!'_

_But his body wouldn't respond, and despite Kion's wishes, he used the Roar of the Elders, only much more powerfully. Rather than send the hyenas flying, the force of the Roar destroyed the hyenas where they stood, turning their bodies into dust and leaving nothing behind. As the Roar settled down into nothing, Kion stood there, panting heavily, his eyes only now showing the extent of his remorse. 'No…'_

"_Kion…" Ono spoke. "Why did you-"_

_Before anyone could respond, they heard another Roar as ferocious as the one Kion had used, only this one was heading their way. They all did their best to withstand the force of the winds blowing their way, but as a Kion turned his head to look at his allies, his heart broke as they met the same fate that Janja and the hyenas had met at his paws, screaming in agony as it happened. He called out for them, hoping that they could somehow be spared, but it was all for nought. His friends were destroyed, and it was all Kion could do to hold on, but he did. The winds died down, and Kion was the only one left standing. As the gravity of the situation fell down on him, he broke down, crying uncontrollably as he dropped down to his knees. "Why?! Why couldn't I stop myself?!"_

"_**Because you're not in control anymore," **__a familiar__evil voice beckoned in his mind. _

_Kion immediately stopped crying, his eyes shooting open fearfully. "S… S-Scar…" Kion shook his head, shaking tears which were still running down her face. "No… n-no, you can't control me… I won't let you control me!"_

_Scar simply laughed, his joy sickening to the cub. "Silly prince… I already am!"_

* * *

Kion woke up with a gasp, silently panting as he realised he was back at Pride Rock. Looking around the cave, he saw that everyone else was still asleep. He felt that his heart was still racing, so he decided to go for a walk to calm his nerves. He silently exited the cave, making way down Pride Rock, which was when his mind began to process his nightmare.

'The way that Scar controlled me,' he thought to himself. 'It was as if he was turning all of my rage into power, and using it to keep my mind and my body apart. It felt similar to that when I attacked the hyenas yesterday… and it made me feel sick to my stomach.' He came to a stop at the foot of Pride Rock, his facial expression reflecting how lost he felt about everything. 'I can't let that happen again… which means there's something I have to do.' He shut his eyes and sat down, focusing on how he felt whenever he had come in contact with Scar, and using that feeling to try and build a connection. "Great uncle Scar!" He called out. "I need to speak with you!" Kion opened his eyes, and noticed that nothing was happening, so he tried again. "Great Uncle Scar! I need to speak with you!" Even though he was louder this time, there was no change made by his call, which made his head drop. "This isn't going to work."

So, he turned around to head back up Pride Rock. As he did, though, he heard something behind him. He quickly turned again and saw a mark on the ground, which began to glow a bright, harsh red, before a rush of flames shot up from it. The fire flickered brightly, the heat of the flames blasting Kion in the face, before the flames shifted their shape, forming the former king that Kion had called out for.

"My, my, Kion!" He taunted. "This IS a surprise! How are you, my great nephew?"

"I didn't summon you for pleasantries," the cub bluntly responded, causing Scar to pout. "Where is Fuli?"

"Why, Kion, I'm hurt. I was hoping we could chat. After all, we haven't had the chance to get to know each other, what with me being in the Outlands and you being-"

"Answer my question."

Scar smirked at the lion cub's attempt at standing up to him. "Temper, temper! You should really keep that in check. You wouldn't want another outburst, would you?" Kion flinched at this, not liking to think back to what happened. "As for Fuli, I wish I could say, but there's nothing I can tell you about her, I'm afraid."

Kion scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "You mean nothing you _want _to tell me."

Scar chuckled. "You share my ferocity, I see."

"I share NOTHING with you."

"Well, _that's_ where you're wrong, Kion." The prince's fur stood up at the bitter feeling he got from these words. "Now, as much as I'd love to talk more, it's getting late, and I'm sure your _daddy _wouldn'twant his son staying up late. But, don't worry- we'll be seeing each other again soon, I promise you that."

Before Kion could say anything else, Scar's fiery form dissipated, leaving only the burnt symbol in the ground. At least, that was all that was left physically.

'I can still feel his connection lingering,' Kion thought bitterly, feeling the anger he had towards Scar cause a shiver down his spine. 'If I'm going to stop him from taking control of me, I need to control that connection.'

As Kion returned to Pride Rock, however, Scar reformed at his cave in the Outlands, a smirk on his face. "Oh, Kion… if only it were that easy…"


	10. Ch 10- Reunion

_The Pride Lands were in flames, destruction all around. Pride Landers lay on the ground as far as the eye could see, either dead, dying or heavily injured. At Pride Rock, lions lay strewn about, mixing from young to old. The only ones still standing tall were the Outlanders, with Janja, Fuli, Reirei and Kiburi standing at the front of them. Before them lay the Lion Guard, or what was left of them. Ono, Beshte and Bunga were long gone, their limp bodies all that remained, meaning only Kion was left alive. He weakly tried to get to his feet, only for Janja to stomp on them, eliciting a roar of pain from the cub._

"_It's been a long time coming, Kion," Janja taunted. "You've been a thorn in our side for way too long, and it's time that we removed it."_

_Kion grunted, trying his best to look at the cheetah. "It's not… too late," he coughed, letting a little bit of blood dribble down his chin. "Please… Fuli…"_

_Fuli wasn't sure how to feel about it. There was a certain amount of fulfilment that came with claiming the Pride Lands, but now… with how they had achieved it, and especially with the way the prince looked at her… something felt wrong. 'Isn't this what you wanted, Fuli?' She asked herself. 'To get justice for what he did to you? To take back the Pride Lands?'_

_She never got a chance to voice these concerns, as Janja was quick to tell Kion, "it ain't too late for her, but it is for you!" Kion opened his mouth to argue, but all that came out were roars of pain as Janja bit down hard into the cub's throat. Kion struggled for a few seconds, but eventually, he stopped breathing, and when Janja let go, his head dropped limply to his paws. The last member of the Lion Guard was dead. "That's it! We've done it! The Pride Lands are ours!" He turned to the others, many of whom were cheering in victory. "Now, all we've got to do is bring Scar back, so stand back while I do this." Everyone watched as Janja used his paw to gather some of the blood from Kion's wound and used it to make a symbol on the ground. When he was finished, he stepped back and smirked. "Scar, the pathway is open! Return to the throne that is rightfully yours!"_

_With these words, the symbol began to glow brightly, before a torrent of flames shot up from it, swirling around as laughter filled the air. Everyone simply watched and waited as the flames flickered, until it eventually died down, revealing Scar in his true form- dark orange fur with black mane, sharp claws, creamy muzzle and green eyes, with the distinguishing scar over his left eye. After a second, he raised a paw, flexing his toes. "My, my…" he mused. "It feels good to be alive again." He then looked at his allies, and smiled the biggest smile he could muster. "My humble servants…"_

"_Your majesty!" They all replied, bowing before him. _

"_I thank you all for your loyalty to my cause." His eyes fixated on the cheetah. "Especially you, dear Fuli. Please, rise." She stood up straight. "Would you walk with me for a moment?"_

_She was hesitant, but replied, "yes, my King."_

_He led her to the peak of Pride Rock, where they could fully see the extent of the damage caused. Fuli winced at the sight, feeling regretful that things had gotten this bad. "Not a pretty sight, is it? This once great land, brought close to total ruin." He turned his head to her. "This was how things seemed towards the end of my reign."_

"_Did we go too far?" She asked him. "We wanted to take over the Pride Lands, but… is there anything left?"_

"_You needn't worry, Fuli. The Pride Lands have an almost magical way of recovering and returning to its natural beauty." Fuli sighed, relieved that her home had not been destroyed. "Though, you won't be able to see that." She blinked, wondering what he meant, but before she could ask, she felt something push her from behind, knocking her over the edge. She had the wherewithal to try and grab onto the edge, her claws just able to dig into the rock and hang on. She looked up, fearful and confused, and was met with the sight of Scar, still with that eerie smile on his face. "I'm sorry, Fuli. You've been a tremendous help, and it pains me to do this, it really does. However, in order to maintain this transformation, I have to rid this world of the Lion Guard. _All _of the Lion Guard." Her eyes widened as she realised what he meant. "Goodbye, Fuli!"_

_And just like that, he threw her off the edge, screaming as she plummeted towards the ground._

"NOOO!" She screamed, leaping to her feet. Her head darted around as she tried to realise what was going on, her heart racing a mile a minute. It took her a moment to realise that she was in her cave in the Outlands, but once she did, she started to calm down a bit. 'It was just a dream,' she rationalised, 'just a dream… but why did it feel so real?' These doubts began to confuse her. 'Scar wouldn't do that, would he? Would he and the others actually sacrifice me because I was part of the Guard?' Her thoughts went silent for a moment, before she shook her head. 'Scar has been nothing but nice to me. He and the others have looked after me since the accident, they've helped me get back to my best, and they helped me when Kion betrayed me. I'm just letting that nightmare get to me.' She took a couple of deep breaths to clear her head, before exiting the cave. 'I'd better see what Scar wants from me today.'

As she made her way through the Outlands, she thought about everything that had happened recently. It had been a few days since the accident, and she had recovered almost impossibly well. Her head wound, while it had scarred under her fur, had healed without infection, and thanks to the training Janja helped her with, she was as fit as ever. It was upsetting that her memories had yet to return, the only lasting repercussion of the fall, but she reasoned that they would return in time.

Since then, she had done her part. She hadn't been into the Pride Lands other than yo hunt for herself, as Scar had requested she stay away for the time being. 'Make them believe she hadn't survived the fall,' she remembered him telling her. She agreed, and made sure to remain unseen whenever she did go in. The rest of the time, she either trained or rested, occasionally trying to connect with the leader of the jackals, though Reirei kept saying she had to deal with her family, which Fuli accepted.

As she entered the cave where she met Scar, she saw that Janja and Reirei were already there, the former smirking at her as she approached. "And here I thought you were the fastest," he joked, prompting her to roll her eyes.

"Whatever, Janja," she retorted. "I didn't sleep well."

"I certainly hope that won't be a hindrance to you, Fuli," they heard Scar's booming voice ask, the flames taking his form.

"Of course not, Scar," she replied to the fiery lion's head. "It'll take more than that to stop me."

"That's good to hear, because you have an important role to do today. A _very_ important role indeed."

* * *

In the Pride Lands, Kion and the rest of the Guard were on patrol. Despite his lack of sleep after attempting to contact Scar for the first time, he rejoined patrol the next day, and continued to do so since. While patrolling during the day, he and the others had ventured into the Outlands a couple of times in the evening, hoping to find any signs of their missing teammate, but had so far come up empty.

While Kion was doing his best to keep it together, the others had noticed that he wasn't the same, and were quietly worried for him. He was quieter, and although he never lost focus, they noticed how he was a bit more stubborn, especially when it came to looking for Fuli. He had even snapped at them a couple of times, though he was quick to apologise for it.

Deciding to be the first to speak, Beshte walked alongside his leader. "So, Kion… what's the plan for today?" He asked.

"Once we've been on patrol, you guys can head home," he answered, not turning his head to look at him. "I'm going to see if I can find Fuli."

"Kion… we've been trying the past two days, and we've found nothing."

"Well, I can't afford to stop until I find something. No matter how long it takes, I have to find something."

The hippo's ears folded against his head. "Kion…"

"I know you guys are worried about me. Honestly, I'm a bit worried about myself too, but the only way I can come to terms with this is if I know what happened."

"But… what if she didn't make it?" Kion stopped walking, so Beshte did the same. "What if she has… died?" Lion could tell he didn't want to even think about it, let alone say it, and he didn't blame him in the slightest for it. "What then?"

Kion sighed, looking down at his paws. "I don't want to think about that. I still think that she could be alive… but if that's the case, then… I'd like to bring her back." He looked up at Beshte, allowing him to see the pain behind his eyes. "She's done so much for the Pride Lands, it's her home. She deserves to be brought back here, so that she can be given a proper funeral. That way… we can say goodbye."

He could hear the crack in his voice at the end, and it really painted a picture to Beshte of where Kion's mind was, and if he was being honest with himself… he felt sorry for his friend. "Kion…"

"Guys?! You might want to take a look at this!" They heard Ono call out to them, interrupting their conversation.

"What is it, Ono?" Kion asked, interrupting the conversation they were having.

"It looks like the hyenas are attacking Muhimu's herd… and the jackals are helping them!"

"Hevi Kabisa!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Bunga yelled. "Let's stop them!"

Lion nodded. "Til the Pride Lands end!"

"LION GUARD DEFENDS!"

So, they began to chase after the Outlands' scoundrels. Reirei, looking over her shoulder, saw that the Guard was approaching, and smirked. "Looks like they took the bait!" She called out, causing Janja to match her facial expression.

"Well, in that case, let's give them something to deal with!"

Reirei nodded. "Jackals! Head after the Lion Guard, now!"

They all obeyed her command, slowing down so they could turn around, and running towards the Lion Guard, much to their surprise. "Why are they heading towards us? They know we'll kick their butts!" Bunga pointed out.

Kion, however, quickly put two and two together. "They're a diversion!" He called out to his team. "They're trying to stop us from reaching the hyenas!"

"Then what do we do?" Beshte asked.

"We're going to have to split up. Beshte, you need to hold off the jackals. Me, Bunga and Ono will go after the hyenas."

"You got it, Kion!" Beshte began summoning energy to pick up speed, heading straight for the jackals. "Twinde kiboko!"

Whilst jackals were sent flying left and right by the charging hippo, the others passed through, their eyes still set on the hyenas. Ono, however, managed to spot something else. "Hapana! The vultures are here too!"

"What?!" Kion looked, and saw that the winged scavengers were indeed headed their way. "Great… Ono, do you think you can distract them?"

"Aye, aye, Kion!"

With that, the egret flew off, leaving just the lion cub and the honey badger. "Bunga, we need to catch up to the hyenas, no matter what. If I get stopped for any reason, keep going. You hear me?" Looking to his right, he saw the honey badger nodded. "Good. We need to stop them before-" Just then, a force from his left knocked into Kion, pinning him to the ground on his side. He groaned a little from the impact, but when he opened his eyes, Bunga was looking at him in shock. "Bunga! Go after the hyenas!"

"Kion, you don't understand!"

"If they get away, we could lose the whole herd! Now, go!"

"But-"

"GO!"

Bunga huffed, conflicted by what he saw and what he was being told, but eventually nodded. "Okay."

So, the honey badger took off, leaving Kion to try and struggle under his captor. "Get off of me! Do not make me hurt you!"

He was met with laughter, which shocked him and sent chills down his spine. "Oh, Kion! That's hilarious! You couldn't hurt me if my legs were tied together!" He tilted his head to see who it was, and his eyes widened even more than they already were. "What? You surprised to see me?"

"Fuli!?"

The cheetah grinned at the cub under her paws. "The one and only."


	11. Ch 11- Confusion and Panic

Kion didn't know how to react to the wave of emotions that were rushing through his mind. Stood on top of him, literally pinning him to the ground, was the same cheetah that he had been on patrol with countless times; the same one that he had stood beside as they defended the Pride Lands from threats new and old, big and small, few and many; the same one he was afraid he had lost, and would never see again. And yet, despite the joy of knowing she was alive, as he looked into her eyes, he sensed something was different.

"Fuli, you're… you're alive!" He exclaimed, a smile on his face and tears in his eyes. "I can't believe it!"

"You're taking this better than I expected," she remarked, her smirk never fading. "Surprising, really… given what you've done."

His eyes widened. 'Does… does she know about what happened?' He thought, as guilt began to wash over him. "You're right… I'm ashamed of what I did. I don't know why, but I did it, and I can only hope that-"

"Oh, spare me the sob story!" He was taken aback by her harsh tone, her smirk now a scowl. "You were never ashamed of what you did to me. You were JEALOUS of me, all because I did my job better than you did yours, so you framed me and had me banished! And for what?! So you could hog the spotlight, and make everyone think you're the good guy!"

Kion was now thoroughly baffled. "Banished- what? Fuli, I don't understand."

She scoffed angrily. "Of course you don't. You've been telling yourself the same story that you made up when you banished me, day after day, and now you actually believe it's true. Why am I not surprised?"

"Fuli, I never banished you! You've been on my team ever since the Guard was reformed!"

"QUIET!" He snapped his head back to the ground, fearful of the ferocity in her eyes. "I am SICK of your grovelling, and after you tried to kill me by sending me over the cliff, I should take your life from you right now." She narrowed the distance between their heads, flaring her teeth at the lion cub, their eyes locked on, until she backed off and smirked again. "But, it's your lucky day. I'm not going to be taking your life… not yet, anyway." She looked to the side and smiled. "Looks like my job is done." She looked back at the cub, and could tell that the situation was overwhelming him. "Don't worry, little prince. You'll be seeing me again… only, next time, I might not be so merciful." She gave him a wink as she got off of him, allowing him to get to his feet. "See you soon, Kion."

With that, she left Kion in a cloud of dust, spluttering and coughing as she ran back to the Outlands. "Fuli!" He called out, though this only caused him to breathe in more dust, causing him to cough even more heavily. Once the cloud died down, he blinked his eyes free of tears caused by the dust and looked around, only to find that she was long gone. Kion's mind was still a whirlwind of emotions right now, as his brain attempted to process what he had just been through. "Hevi kabisa…"

"Kion!" He heard Ono call, snapping him out of his thoughts. Turning to the side, he saw him and Beshte heading his way. "What happened? Where's the herd?"

"I… I sent Bunga after them."

"Why didn't you go with them?" Beshte asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't… I mean, I couldn't I…" Kion's eyes shot open as wide as they could go. "The herd! Ono, can you spot them?"

"Aye, aye!" He took up to the air and began to scan the area. Narrowing in on the direction the herd had been chased before, he was finally able to see them in the distance. "I've found them, and Bunga's with them… but I don't see the hyenas with them."

"Alright, then, let's go see if they're okay." They nodded to each other, then took off in the direction towards the herd, with Ono leading the way. It didn't take them long to reach it, but they all quickly noticed how close they were to the Outlands. As they approached the herd, Bunga spotted them and ran their way. "What happened, Bunga?"

"Well," he spoke uncertainly, "the hyenas have headed back to the Outlands, and I saw the jackals and buzzards head past us to join them."

Kion smiled. "Well, you did good, Bunga."

However, the honey badger sighed sombrely, causing concern to the others. "I wouldn't say that."

Before he could ask what he meant, Ono gasped. "Hapana!" They all turned to see Muhimu approaching them, her front left leg bleeding and causing her to limp. "Muhimu! Are you alright?"

"Lion Guard… I… one of the hyenas managed to… sink their teeth into my leg," she explained, wincing occasionally at the pain. "Fortunately, one of my herd… kicked them off." Her eyes matched her frown. "Sadly, we weren't all so lucky… two of my zebras were… taken."

The Guard all showed their disappointment at this, with Kion stepping forward with a guilty expression. "I'm so sorry, Muhimu. I should have been able to do more to stop them, and I'm sorry I didn't."

"I understand, Kion, and I forgive you, but I have to know, for the safety of my herd… what happened?"

Kion wasn't sure how to answer this. He knew he should be honest with her, like he had many times before, but he was afraid of the reaction he would receive when he he could respond, however, one of the other zebras spoke up. "It's because of the cheetah!" As murmurs began to arise from the herd, the zebra that spoke up, a male with brown eyes, stepped forward. "I saw her attack Kion, making it so he couldn't defend us from the hyenas! She's on their side!"

Muhimu gasped, turning to the Guard once more. "Kion… is this true?"

Kion sighed. "I don't honestly know what happened, and I don't believe for one second that the Fuli I know would help them… something about this isn't right."

"What's right is that the cheetah has turned on the Pride Lands!"

"NO! That's not what happened, she-" Kion, however, found himself being drowned out by the increasingly panicked murmurs of the zebras. "Everyone, listen- no, stop- you need to-"

But it was all for nought, as they began to shout "PANIC AND RUN," doing just that as they set off once more. Muhimu sighed, rolling her eyes at this action, and prepared to go after them, but her injury prevented her from getting far.

"Easy there, Muhimu," Beshte told her, offering support so she didn't fall down.

She grunted a little from the pain, but smiled at the hippo. "Thank you, Beshte." She then turned to Kion. "Kion, I hate to ask, but could you go make sure that my herd will be safe? I can't exactly get very far like this."

"Of course, Muhimu," he responded, then turned to my team. "Beshte, escort Muhimu to Rafiki's tree, so he can patch her up. Bunga, you and I need to stop the herd from creating more panic. Ono, I need you to deliver a message for me."

"What's the message?" The egret asked. Kion whispered into his ear, before the keenest of sight nodded. "I'm on it."

As Ono flew away, Kion turned back to Muhimu and Beshte. "We'll regroup at sunset at the Outlands border. Muhimu, we won't take too long, and we'll ask one of the herd to help you once we have."

"Thank you." He turned around, but stopped when she called out to him. "Kion… for the safety of my herd, I have to assume that Fuli isn't on your side. If we see her again, we will treat her as one of them, and I won't tell anyone for now, but if the rest of the Pride Lands finds out, then I'm sorry."

Kion looked back, upset by her statement, but gave a reluctant nod. "I understand."

She nodded back, then allowed Beshte to begin escorting her towards the mjuzi's tree. Kion, meanwhile, turned to Bunga. "When I sent you after the hyena's, you were trying to tell me something, weren't you?"

Bunga nodded. "I was trying to tell you that… that it was Fuli who… you know."

Kion sighed. "I understand."

"You're not… mad at me, are you, Kion?"

The lion cub shook his head. "You did the right thing. Right now, though… I'm just stressed out over everything."

Bunga gently patted his friend on the side. "Don't sweat it, Kion. Everything will work out, like it always does."

Kion smiled at his friend. "Thanks, Bunga. Now, come on. We need to stop the herd."

* * *

"Excellent! Absolutely excellent!" Scar commended as his underlings returned, the results of their hunt carried in tow. "You have done well today!"

"Thanks, Scar!" Reirei and Janja both responded at the same time, before turning to each other with scowls.

"You have both done excellent work, and more impressively, you succeed together once more." He then directed his gaze to the cheetah. "And you, Fuli. The skinks have told me just how successful you were today. Not only have you surprised the Lion Guard, but they have discovered that the remaining zebras are no longer quite as trusting in the Lion Guard. Truly exceptional!"

"Thank you, Scar," she replied with a tiny bow. Her quieter than usual voice caught everyone by surprise, prompting them to look at her curiously.

"You sound… conflicted," Ushari hissed in remark.

She looked at the faces looking at her, then looked at her paws. "Something about Kion's reaction when he saw me… it seemed off. Almost like he was hoping to see me…"

Scar frowned. "All his attempts at getting in your head. You mustn't let him deceive you. Remember what they did to you."

She nodded. "You're right. My apologies."

"Not a problem. Now, myself and Ushari must discuss how to capitalise on these new developments, so the rest of you are free to enjoy your hunt. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Scar," they all replied.

As everyone else left, carrying the zebra carcasses with them, Ushari waited until they were gone before he addressed Scar again. "It seems as though her memories may be attempting to resurface," he pointed out. "Should we deal with her now?"

"Hmm… it is troubling, I will admit. However, I feel there is more that can be done with her before we need to resort to that. Therefore, we shall continue to treat her as our own." A sly, evil grin came to his face. "In fact, I believe that we can use her to bring the Guard to its demise, once and for all."

* * *

A few hours passed, and the majority of the Pride Landers were now either at home or on their way there, with a few animals still active under the orange sky of the setting sun. Amongst those still awake were Kion and the rest of the Guard, who were finally arriving at the border to the Outlands. Kion, whose face was showing emotional fatigue after everything that had happened that day, turned and saw Beshte and Bunga headed his way, with Ono flying not far behind them. "Good," he spoke once they were in earshot, "you made it. Beshte, how's Muhimu doing?"

"She's hurt, but Rafiki managed to bandage her up," the hippo explained, "though he says some of his materials have gone missing. A couple of vines, and some medicinal leaves."

"We'll speak with him tomorrow, see what we can do." He then turned to the egret, who landed on Beshte's shoulder. "Ono, were you able to deliver my message?"

He nodded. "They should be here any second. What about the herd? Were you able to calm them down?"

"Yes, but I don't know if they'll tell the other Pride Landers about this or not. I've spoken to my dad, and he says he'll do his best to keep things quiet for now." His expression then dropped, as he took in a deep breath. "Since we'll be waiting for a bit, I… I need to apologise to you guys." They all raised an eyebrow. "After everything that's happened, I know I haven't been myself lately. I haven't been living up to my expectations, and I've been distracted. You guys have done brilliantly making sure everything was okay while I've been… well, you know. The point is, I'm thankful to have you guys as my team, and I'm going to do my best to make sure that I can get past this, and that we can be the team we were before."

They looked at each other, before turning back to the cub with a smile. "Kion, you've never had to prove anything to us," Beshte explained, getting Kion to lift his head.

"We know how difficult it's been for you these past few days," Ono added, "or, at least, partly knew. We've been worried about you, not just because we were scared you wouldn't recover, but because you're our friend. These past couple of days, you look like you've been getting better, and we're still proud to call you our friend, and our leader."

"Yeah, Kion!" Bunga exclaimed. "You're un-Bunga-lievable!"

Kion couldn't help but chuckle at this, the most genuine smile he had worn for days appearing on his face. "Thanks, Bunga, and you too, guys." Just then, they heard someone approaching from behind them. They turned around, ready to defend themselves if needs be. However, upon seeing who it was, Kion and the others relaxed. "Good. You made it."


	12. Ch 12- Covert Operation

The Lion Guard watched as they were approached by a hyena, though not one from Janja's clan. Rather, the hyena approaching them was a female hyena, with purple eyes and black and purple hair, plus slightly lighter fur. "I came as soon as I could, Kion," she greeted as she walked up to the cub. "Madoa's looking after the pups, but I can't stay here too long, in case any other Pride Landers see me."

"Asante, Jasiri," Kion replied with a nod. "This won't take long, I promise."

"Well, since I'm here, why don't you tell me why you asked me to come here?"

"Right. You see, I need to ask you and your clan for your help."

Jasiri smirked. "Again? Surely, you could have come to visit me if you needed our help."

Kion frowned, shaking his head. "I'm afraid it couldn't wait. Its too urgent."

Just like that, the hyena's smirk faded. "I see. What is it you need help with?"

"It's a long story. You see, a few days ago, the hyenas attacked one of the herds. We were able to save the herd, but… Fuli wasn't quite so lucky."

Jasiri's eyes widened. Scanning the friends of her faces, she could see the hurt behind their expressions. "I take it that's why she isn't here, then? I noticed when I got here, but I thought she might be doing her own thing."

Kion sighed, his head dropping. "Sadly not. You see, while trying to redirect the herd away from the Pride Lands, she… went over the edge. She tried to climb back up, but Janja… he…"

She gasped, not even needing to hear him finish. "He didn't… did he?" Kion couldn't even respond, so he solemnly nodded instead. This caused Jasiri to frown sadly. "Oh, no… Kion, I… I don't know what to say. Is she… alright?"

"I… I'm not sure. You see, when Ono told me Janja… did what he did, I went to see if she was okay, but… she was gone." Jasiri blinked, tilting her head in confusion. "We think the hyenas took her into the Outlands, because Ono told me she was unconscious. We hadn't seen her until earlier today."

"She came back?"

"Not exactly. The hyenas and the jackals were attacking one of the zebra herds, so we went to deal with it, but we got split up- Beshte had to deal with the jackals, while Ono had to deal with the vultures. Me and Bunga were trying to catch up with the hyenas, and that's when…"

Jasiri waited for him to respond, but when he didn't, she noticed the pained expression on his face. "When… what?"

Bunga sighed. "Fuli appeared out of nowhere, and tackled Kion to the ground," he explained. "It was un-Bunga-lievable, and not in a good way. I tried to tell Kion, but the herd was getting away, so I had to go after them."

"She wasn't acting like herself," Kion added. "She was acting as if we had turned on her, claiming we banished her to the Outlands and that Janja and the others saved her."

She looked at him incredulously, asking herself if she had heard him correctly. "You mean… she's joined Janja?! But, Fuli wouldn't do that!"

"I don't think so either, which is why we need your help."

Her face showed her determination. "You've done a lot for me and my clan over the years, so just tell me what you need us to do."

"We need you to see if you can find out why Fuli is with them. After what happened earlier today, some of the Pride Landers think she's on their side, so we need to stay here and try and keep everything calm."

She nodded. "I understand completely. You can count on us, Kion!"

He shot a small smile her way, which she returned when he said, "Asante."

"No problem, Kion." She looked up at the sky, seeing how dark it was getting. "I best return before it's too dark to see where I'm going. First thing tomorrow, we'll start seeing what we can find out, and I'll meet you back here to report, same time tomorrow."

"Understood. Be safe getting home, Jasiri." She nodded, and everyone exchanged their goodbyes before she began to walk away, quickly disappearing into the Outlands once more. Once she had, Kion turned to the others. "Okay. Tomorrow, we'll need to maintain patrol and make sure that panic isn't being spread, so head home, and make sure to get some rest."

Kion turned to start walking away, but Beshte called before he could. "Kion," he asked the cub, "what do we do if Fuli shows up again?"

This question left an uncomfortable silence between them for a good ten seconds, as Kion tried to figure out what the answer was. "… I'll… get back to you tomorrow on that, guys. Usiku mwema."

"Usiku mwema," they all replied as they went their separate ways. As Kion saw his home in the distance, his mind began to mull over the issue that Beshte had pointed out, and it seemed to be jumping back and forth between both sides of the argument.

'She's still our teammate and our friend,' he attempted to reason with himself, 'we can't just attack her… but if she truly believes that she is on Scar's side, then that means she'll see the Pride Landers as her enemies… and our duty is to defend them no matter what… but how am I supposed to defend them against someone who knows me better than anyone else, and is my friend?'

'**Perhaps the answer is much more simple than you think,'** he could hear Scar's sly voice suggest, a distinctive chuckle following it.

Kion shook his head. 'Don't listen to him, Kion…' His lips curled into a frown. 'I cannot allow him to control me again.'

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Another hyena asked as she walked alongside Jasiri.

"Yes, Madoa," she replied. "Kion and the Guard have helped us a lot in the past, so it's the least we can do." It was the next day, and Jasiri and Madoa had begun their search of the Pride Lands, as she had promised to the Pride Lands' prince. "Besides, I want to know why Fuli is working with Janja."

"But don't you remember what happened last time?" She was referring to when the hyenas found out about their spying, and used it to ambush them, and although the Lion Guard saved them in the end, it was a close call. "I don't want that to happen again."

"I know, Madoa, and it won't. Besides, that was a long time ago, so maybe they've forgotten about it. We both know that they aren't the smartest of hyenas." She grinned smugly. "That would be us." They both shared a laugh at this, but stopped when they heard someone coming near them. "Quick, hide!"

They quickly dashed over to a large boulder, making sure that their tails were tucked in and that they were just able to peek out without being spotted. After a few seconds, they noticed none other than Fuli, wondering around with her head looking down at the ground. She came to a stop after little more than a few steps, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Why does everything seem so… strange right now?" She asked herself. "I should be feeling good right now- Scar has been helping me to remember my past and my mission, while the others have been making sure that I'm at top physical condition after the accident… so why does something feel off? Like I'm somehow missing something, even though I don't know what it is?"

"What did she mean about remembering her past?" Madoa asked Jasiri in a hushed voice.

"I'm not sure," Jasiri responded. "But whatever it is, it seems Scar's trying to manipulate her… is it some sort of power he has, like how Kion has the Roar?"

"Who knows?" As Madoa turned her head around, she saw that Fuli was no longer alone, as Reirei approached the cheetah. "Maybe she can tell us more."

The jackal cleared her throat, getting the attention of the speedy mammal. "What are you doing out here?" She asked.

"Oh, Reirei," Fuli replied, looking relieved. "It's just you. I was just trying to gather my thoughts."

"I see. Well, any who, Scar told me that you're to train with the crocodiles today, and they're not exactly the most patient, so I'd be quick about it."

Fuli simply smirked. "Did you forget who you're talking to?"

Before Reirei could respond to this, Fuli dashed off, leaving the lead jackal coughing in the cloud of dust she had produced. It lasted for a few seconds before dissipating, which allowed Reirei to breathe normally again, before growling. "How much longer do I have to put up with this brat," she muttered.

"Reirei!" They heard a voice call, looking to see Janja approach his reluctant ally. "You seen Fuli anywhere? Kiburi's getting all angry that she hasn't shown up for training yet."

"Yeah, I just sent her his way. Anyway, how much longer are we going to have to keep up this charade?! I'm sick of acting like she's a pal of mine!"

"Believe me, I am too! I'm starting to wish that she died from the fall rather than just lost her memory." Jasiri gritted her teeth, doing her best to suppress her growl so as to maintain anonymity in that moment.

"Yeah, you and me both. I still think we should be taking her out of the equation before she gets wise of what's really going on."

"Well, if you want to be the one to tell Scar, then be my guest." She scowled at him upon realising that he was right. "Until Scar tells us otherwise, we gotta keep up the act, or else it'll be him taking us out."

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Still, if I have to call her dear one more time…"

"Hey, you're the one who started that, you've only got yourself to blame." His ears perked up as he heard something in the distance, which led to him groaning exasperatedly. "What are those Furbrains up to now?"

He took off in one direction, not hearing Reirei mutter, "you're not exactly that sharp yourself," before she took off in the other direction. Once the coast was clear, Madoa and Jasiri left their cover and began to head back to their clan.

"I can't believe it," Jasiri spoke out loud. "Fuli's memory is lost from the fall, and Scar is trying to rewrite it for her so that she believes that Kion and the others are the enemy."

"I don't know whether to point out how low it is of them, or how uncharacteristically clever it is of them," Madoa mused, receiving an irritated glare in response. "Either way, we have the information Kion asked us to find."

Jasiri nodded. "I'll let Kion know when I meet up with him tonight."

"So, I'm on babysitting again? That makes it, what, three nights you owe me?" Madoa smirked as her friend rolled her eyes at her. "Don't worry, I'll watch over them. Just make sure that you don't get ambushed on the way."

"I will. Right now, I'm more concerned of Kion's reaction."

* * *

"He's WHAT?!" He practically roared, having just heard the hyena's explanation of her findings. He was already on edge after the day's patrol, in which he noticed more than a few of the herd members were wary of them, but thankfully only the zebras from the day before. Still, this news did not come welcome to the Lion Guard's leader.

"I wish I was lying, Kion, but that's exactly what we heard," the female hyena replied.

"That's low, even for Janja," Beshte muttered, his ears folding against his head.

"I dunno, Big B," Bunga argued, "it seems about as low as their usual tricks."

"I hate to agree, but I do," Ono conceded. "Besides, knowing that they work for Scar now, it seems pretty light in comparison to his other acts."

"If it helps," Jasiri added, "when I heard Fuli talking to herself, she seemed conflicted."

"So, you mean… her memories might be coming back?" Kion asked, a trace of hope in his voice. That hope, however, faded when he saw Jasiri's nervous expression.

"I don't know for certain, Kion. This is the first time I've known of this happening, so I don't know how bad her accident was for this to happen, or how likely it is that she could recover."

"She's right, Kion," Ono explained. "Concussive memory loss isn't something that I've heard much of in the Pride Lands either.

The prince sighed, disappointed yet understanding. "I see… thank you anyway, Jasiri. I really appreciate it."

"Of course, Kion. Now, if you'll excuse me, I better head back."

Kion nodded to her, and she turned around to start walking away. 'There has to be a way to stop Scar from rewriting her memory… rewriting her…' His eyes shot wide open with a gasp. "Wait a minute!"

Jasiri stopped walking when she heard him, turning to give him her attention, as did the others. "What is it, Kion?"

"There may be a way to get Fuli back! Jasiri, I hate to ask, especially after everything you've done, but-"

"Whatever you need, I'm willing to help."

He smiled. "Thank you. Now, this is a little risky, but I've got a plan."


	13. Ch 13- The Writing On The Wall

The sun rose as usual the next day, shining light on the dry, lifeless ground of the Outlands. Fuli, having slept outside after looking at the stars the prior night, woke up the second the light reached her eyes, fluttering her eyelids open and groggily letting out a yawn. As she stood up, she cracked her back and stretched her legs. "Since when was this ground so uncomfortable?" She muttered to herself, looking up at the sky with a squint. "Oh well. Since I'm up early, I'll see if I can hunt something for breakfast." Her stomach grumbled a little as she imagined the taste of freshly caught antelope or gazelle, but remembered that she wasn't to go back to the Pride Lands unless Scar informed her otherwise.

_"We must maintain the element of surprise," _she remembered him explain to everyone.

'Guess I'll have to see if anything accidentally wandered in,' she pondered, and with that, she took off for the border. After the first few days since waking up, she had gotten a good idea of the layout of the Outlands, so it didn't take her long, even if she was only jogging. When she arrived, her eyes sparkled- by some luck, there was a lone hare, looking up at the cliff that it had most likely fallen down from. She licked her lips, then crouched down low and began to sneak up on it. 'Slowly does it…'

Despite her natural hunting instincts, however, the lack of plant life in the Outlands meant that the hare caught sight of her out of the corner of its eye, and took off. Fuli groaned at this, but didn't waste any time before taking off after her prey. The little hare had a slight manoeuvrability advantage due to its smaller size, but Fuli's speed meant that the gap between them was closing, her teeth bared as she sensed that the hunt was nearing its end. The hare turned a corner and Fuli followed after it, ready to pounce, and she caught the hare with ease, quickly ending its life. She looked down at her prey and thought, 'won't be a big breakfast, but should hold me over, as long as the others manage to hunt something later. I doubt I'll be so lucky as to find something else like this out here.'

So, she tucked into her morning meal, unaware that someone was approaching her from behind. "Fuli?" She heard a voice from behind, and turned to see a female hyena approaching. "I'm glad I found you."

"Who are you?" Fuli challenged.

The hyena tilted her head. "What do you mean? It's me, Jasiri, your friend."

Fuli narrowed her eyes at the purple and black haired canine. "If you were my friend, why haven't I seen you with Janja's clan this past week?"

"Because Scar sent me on a recon mission, so that we could find some information on the Lion Guard."

This seemed to work, as the cheetah's expression softened. "Really? Then why hasn't Janja mentioned you?"

Jasiri scoffed. "Why am I not surprised? He always was jealous that I was smarter than him."

"I hear that," she grumbled, then sighed. "Sorry for being so hostile. I had an accident about a week back, and my memory still hasn't returned."

"Oh no! Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm okay now, but Kion pushed me over the cliff. I hit my head and was knocked out for about… a day, I think?"

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine." She finished the rest of her hare, then resumed speaking. "So, how was your recon?"

"It went well. In fact, I believe I found a new way to secretly access the Lion Guard's base! But, I need someone to help me inspect it so I can report back to Scar. Think you can help me?"

Fuli blinked, surprised by the offer. "Really? I mean, Scar has told me not to return to the Pride Lands until he tells me to."

Jasiri smirked. "Oh, come on, Fuli. I'm sure he can overlook that if it means finding the secrets of our enemies. Besides, you used to be with the Guard, so maybe it'll help restore your memory. What do you say?"

Fuli mulled it over for a moment, and while she was concerned of what Scar would say if he found out, something in the back of her mind outweighed that, so she smirked back. "You're on."

* * *

The two of them wasted no time in making their way towards the border, and into the Pride Lands. They kept as low a profile as possible, keeping low to the ground in high grass whenever they thought someone could spot them, but didn't show any haste in reaching their destination. Eventually, they reached the Southern side of Pride Rock, where a small cave opening was covered by vines. Jasiri walked up to the vines and pushed them to one side, opening up the entrance. "In here," she beckoned to Fuli, leading the way.

"Okay," Fuli replied as she followed the hyena inside. Once there, she was surprised at the sight before her. Despite being at the base of a huge rock formation, there was a good amount of sunlight pouring in, giving Fuli a good view of the large pool of water in front of her, and the amount of plant life that was thriving in these conditions. Seeing the water sparkle, she rushed forward to take a drink, then ended up practically guzzling it down. When she was finished, she lifted her head up with a contented sigh. "Wow… compared to our Watering Hole, this is really fresh!"

"Not surprising, given how little life there is in the Outlands," Jasiri remarked. "Still, this is the Lair of the Lion Guard. This jogging your memories at all?"

Fuli contorted her face as she tried to think back. "Well… it does feel familiar… but nothing specific is coming to mind."

The hyena frowned at this. "I see… well, maybe there will be something here that can help with that. Besides, Scar will want information about what we can find here, so why don't we split up and see what we can find?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'll check over this way." They nodded to each other, before Fuli began walking towards the back of the cave, not noticing that Jasiri had yet to move from her spot, and was watching the cheetah. As she roamed through the cave, looking high and low for anything of interest, her green eyes landed on the wall at the back- more specifically, what was on it. She slowly approached it, her eyes widening and her mouth opening as she realised what she was looking at. Covered all over the wall were a series of paintings, all done by hand, all showing animals. Most of them were of lions, but a bunch of them contained a group of animals- a lion, a hippo, an egret, a honey badger, and a cheetah. "What is this?"

"These paintings are our history," she heard a familiar voice call to her. Turning around, she snarled as she saw Kion lead he rest of the Guard into the cave, his face lacking discernible emotion. "They tell the stories of our adventures and our battles, as well as those of the Guards that came before us." He turned to Jasiri. "Thank you for bringing her here."

Fuli gasped, then growled at the hyena. "You're on HIS side?!"

Jasiri nodded. "Sorry to lie to you, Fuli, but I wasn't completely lying."

The cheetah just scoffed in response, then challenged her by saying, "oh, really? So, you brought me here to, what, ambush me?"

"Not at all," Kion explained as he began to walk towards her. "The truth is, we aren't here to fight you. In reality, I asked Jasiri to bring you here, so that we could hopefully talk, and make you see that Scar has been lying to you."

"And what if I don't feel like talking?"

"Well, we've got all day, so we aren't exactly in a hurry to-"

"It's alright, Bunga," Kion spoke, silencing his ally. "We're all on the same side here." Bunga nodded after a second, before Kion returned his attention to Fuli. "Once we've said what we have to say, we'll let you leave and return to the Outlands if you don't believe us."

Fuli raised an eyebrow. "You seriously expect me to believe that?" When she saw Kion plainly nod in response to her question, her tensed body relaxed. "Well, as much as I don't want to, it seems that the only way I'm gonna get out of here is if I listen, so… fine. Say what you have to say, but if you try and go back on this-"

"We won't."

Her eyes stared into his, and she sensed something familiar trying to appear in her mind- possibly something from her memories- but it wasn't clear. "… fine."

"Thank you." He turned to Jasiri. "Yesterday, we asked Jasiri to listen in on Scar's army to see if she could find something. Would you mind repeating what you found?"

She nodded, then looked at the cheetah. "In the Outlands, I heard Janja talking with Reirei, not long after she had found you. You left and then he arrived, and they were saying that they wished you had died when you fell off the cliff instead of lost your memory, so they wouldn't have to keep up their act. Fuli, they've been lying to you. Janja was the one that pushed you over the cliff, because you weren't on his side before."

Fuli rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd want me to believe that, you're his enemy. Why should I believe anything you say."

"I understand that it's hard to trust us right now," Kion argued, "but we are telling the truth. However, the only way to prove that to you is to show you our history." He walked up to the wall, Fuli following his eyes to a particular set of paintings. "The last Guard was led by Scar, as I'm sure he told you, but he was jealous that my grandfather Mufasa was going to be king. He tried to get his Guard to help overthrow them, but they wouldn't, so he used his Roar of the Elders to destroy them, losing the Roar in the process." As he continued talking, he pointed out different paintings to the cheetah. "When my dad was a cub, he killed Mufasa and convinced my dad that it was his fault, so he ran away, but when my dad returned, Scar had run the Pride Lands into the ground by letting a group of hyenas have free reign, and unlike Jasiri's clan, they depleted the food and water supplies. Simba challenged him to the throne, and made Scar confess that he killed Mufasa, before his hyenas turned on him. After that, my dad took the throne and helped to restore the Pride Lands."

Fuli was quiet the whole time, as Kion's story had caused something to start speaking in the back of her mind, but not clearly enough for her to discern. "But… Scar told me that Simba tricked the Pride Landers into thinking that."

"Another of Scar's lies." He walked over to another part of the wall, where all the paintings of the current Guard were. "A few years later, I discovered the Roar of the Elders when Janja attacked Bunga. My dad explained that I was to form a new Lion Guard. I chose you guys, but my dad thought I wasn't taking it seriously because you weren't lions. When we saved a Kiara from a stampede caused by Janja's hyenas, however, he realised he was wrong, and since then, we've been protecting the Pride Lands as a team."

Fuli's eyes glanced from one painting, stills of the adventures and battles flashing in her mind. "I remember… these adventures, the stampede, forming the Guard…" She then turned to the cub with a scowl. "But then, why isn't there a painting of you banishing me for killing that herd? The one you killed and conspired to frame me for. And what about you sending me over the cliff?"

He frowned. "Don't you see that those are more of Scar's lies?"

"Or maybe you've chosen not to paint them in case anyone saw, so they wouldn't realise what kind of lion you _really _are!"

"Fuli… we don't choose what moments are painted, Rafiki does. If the Guard chose the paintings, Scar would never have allowed Rafiki to add a painting of him destroying his own Guard. The reason those paintings are up there is because they didn't happen. I was never jealous of you- I admire your speed, and you are my friend. I would never want to lose you, and I would never kill an entire herd, let alone frame you for it. That would disrupt the Circle of Life." That phrase caused Fuli to gasp, as if something clicked in her mind. "As for me sending you over the cliff, there is a painting, but it's not what you think happened." He walked over to the far side of the wall, and Fuli followed, so he could point out a particular set of paintings. "As you can see, Janja's clan were leading the hyenas towards the Outlands, but you redirected them away from the cliff, though you weren't as lucky. You tried to climb back up, but Janja caused you to let go. He's the reason you can't remember your past."

She could feel something screaming in the back of her mind, desperately trying to speak clearly to her, but she just couldn't make it out. "… you're lying. You're trying to trick me." Her eyes began burning with anger. "I'm not going to let you turn me against those who have actually helped me! If you were really on my side when Janja 'supposedly' sent me over the cliff, where were you when I was on the ground unconscious?" Kion looked down to the ground guiltily. "That's what I thought. We're done here, so let me go."

"But, Fuli-"

"It's alright, Beshte." Kion looked up and nodded to his friends, who nodded back before moving away from the entrance. "We've said all we have to say, so you can leave."

Fuli paused for a moment, surprised that they actually stuck to their word, but didn't wait about. All they could do was watch as she walked away. Once she was gone, Ono turned to Kion once more. "Kion… what now?"

The cub sighed. "We wait and see what happens. In the mean time, we need to get back to patrol." He turned to Jasiri. "We'll make sure you get back to the Outlands safely."

"Thank you," she replied. "Are you okay?"

He looked down before replying, "I guess I'll just have to see."


	14. Ch 14- How Things Worked Out

**(A/N: apologies for this being late, Uni work really caught up on me. Thank you all for continuing to read this, and enjoy!)**

Fuli held a scowl on her face as she re-entered the Outlands, slowly pacing as her thoughts stayed fully on what had just happened. "I can't believe I fell for that," she scolded to herself, "I should have realised. Every one of Janja's hyenas are male, I should have known that she wasn't tied with him." Her scowl grew more angry. "And why would she ally herself with Kion, of all people?! There are no hyenas in the Pride Lands, which means she must live in the Outlands too, so that would mean that she has to endure the same conditions from living out here as we do! Why would she team up with those who force us to live like this?! Does she think they'll let her join them in the Pride Lands if she does?" She kicked a small rock out of frustration. "And the nerve of that Kion, thinking he could trick me into believing that Scar has been manipulating me! I may have lost my memory, but I never lost my will! I would not let anyone trick me into thinking that I am something that I'm not!" Her steps suddenly slowed to a halt, her scowl fading in favour of a lost frown. "So, why does it make so much sense? Those paintings made me remember things from when I was with the Guard- the adventures we had, the battles we fought, the fun times as well as the bad times… and not once in my memories did Kion look like he was jealous of me. He always seemed so level headed, and appreciative." She smiled a little at that thought, but quickly tossed it away with a growl. "Why does this have to be so confusing?! Why can't things just make sense, and everything be how it should be?!" In her anger, she realised that she was feeling dizzy, possibly due to the whirlwind of emotions running through her mind. "Maybe some water would help… even if it isn't as fresh as that from the Guard's Lair."

So, she made her way through the Outlands. As she approached the Watering Hole, she couldn't help but feel a resentment at its size. 'How are so many animals supposed to live like this?' she couldn't help but think with a shake of her head. She leaned forward to take a drink, sipping the earthy water with a look on her face that shows how little she enjoyed it. 'Hopefully, when we take the Pride Lands, we can take the Watering Hole first.'

Just then, she heard something nearby, causing her ears to perk up. 'Who's that?' She narrowed her eyes as she began to approach. 'If it's that Jasiri, I'll be sure to make her regret trying to trick me.' She approached the rock near where she could hear the voices, and the closer she got, the more she recognised her voice. 'Wait a minute… that's…' When she heard her name mentioned, she paused, and the more she listened, the more interested she became. At one point, her eyes went wide. 'What?!'

* * *

Back in the Pride Lands, the Lion Guard resumed their usual patrol after Ono escorted Jasiri out of the Pride Lands. For the most part, they had been silent, apart from a couple of instructions from Kion at the beginning. As they finished checking on the gazelles, however, Ono took the opportunity to address the situation. "Kion, can we stop for a moment?" the egret asked, flying up to land on Beshte's shoulder.

"What's up, Ono?" He asked as he and the others stopped walking.

"I have to ask… do you think Fuli will return?" Kion was taken aback by the question, and didn't immediately respond, causing the keenest of sight to sigh. "I know we all want her to remember who she is, and for her to rejoin the Guard, but… we just don't know what kind of control Scar has over her. For all we know, he could reshape her memories permanently, and we wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

Kion shook his head. "I don't think so. Something in her eyes when we spoke with her just before… I could tell there was still a part of her old self clinging on. If Scar had that kind of control over her, I feel like I wouldn't have been able to see the eyes of the Fuli I know."

"But, that's just it. We don't know how much power Scar can have over her, and we don't know how much of the old her is still there."

"I know we don't, but… I just feel like I would have been able to tell."

Neither of them spoke for a moment, which gave Beshte the opportunity to give his two cents. "Actually, Ono… I think Kion's right." They turned to their strongest member with curiosity. "I couldn't tell as much from looking at Fuli, so I don't know how far gone she is… but when Scar took over Kion's mind after she… after her accident, and when we found him trying to take out the hyenas once and for all, I could sense that something was different in Kion's eyes… and I didn't see that in Fuli." Kion gave a small smile upon hearing this, both hopeful that Fuli could be saved, and thankful that Beshte agreed with him. "Also, since Scar is related to Kion and not Fuli, maybe he can't control her like he did Kion."

"Thanks, Beshte," Kion acknowledged, before looking back at the egret. "I know it's a tough situation, and there might not be a way out that ends well for the Guard, or that Fuli might not regain her memories… but I have hope that she will. She's too much of a fighter to let this hold her back, and should her memories come back, I truly believe she'll rejoin us."

Ono opened his beak to speak, but he could see the hope behind Kion's eyes, and in that moment, he decided that he didn't want to kill that hope, seeing how much the past week had messed with the cub's psych. "I… I guess. I just don't want to see anything happen because…"

Kion didn't need to hear what he stopped himself from saying. "I know, Ono, and it won't. For now, we just need to keep our heads up and our eyes open."

"Aye, aye, Kion. So, what do we-" he stopped when he thought he spotted something in the distance, which caused him to squint. "What the?"

"Ono?" Bunga asked, seeing the egret take to the sky. "What do you see, Ono?!"

"Hang on… Hang on…" His eyes narrowed in on a group of gazelles in the distance. As he looked around them, however, he noticed that they were surrounded, the jackals on one side, the crocodiles on the other. While he could also see Janja, the rest of the hyenas were nowhere to be seen. "Hapana!"

"What's going on, Ono?" Kion asked.

"The jackals and the crocodiles have trapped the gazelles! They're not far from here, just by the Watering Hole, but we need to get there quick, before they can hurt them!"

"Got it!" He turned to the others. "Lion Guard, let's go!"

"Right!"

So, they began to charge towards them, their Outland enemies quickly coming to sight. As they got nearer, the jackals and crocs began to close in, causing the gazelles to become fearful.

"Get out of here!" The gazelles' leader, Swala, yelled at the predators closing in on her, though her face showed that she was feeling scared. "The Lion Guard will stop you, I'm sure of it!"

Janja simply cackled. "Oh, I've no doubt they'll _try_ and stop us- in fact, I'm counting on it!" Swala gasped, but wasn't able to say anything before the hyena spotted the Lion Guard fast approaching. "Alright, here they come! You all know the plan, so don't fail now!"

"Speak for yourself, hyena," Kiburi, the leader of the crocodiles, snapped back. "We crocodiles only know success."

"If that was the case, you wouldn't have been kicked out of the Pride Lands in the first place," Reirei taunted.

"Cut it out!" Janja barked. "They're here!"

They all turned with wide grins as the Guard approached. "Reirei! Kiburi! Leave the gazelles alone!" Kion challenged staring them down. When he heard a loud cackle from the back of the group, he narrowed his eyes. "I should have known you wouldn't be far behind, Janja."

"Too right, Kion!" The hyena walked around to the front, his eyes instantly meeting Kion's. "About time you showed up, we were getting bored of our new friends here!"

"I won't say it again, Janja. Let the gazelles go."

He simply smirked. "Alright, Kion. Have it your way."

The cub simply raised an eyebrow as the crocodiles and jackals moved forward, giving the gazelles room to run away. Swala was a little hesitant to leave, knowing what Janja had said to her, but she knew that her herd needed her, so she made her exit.

"Alright," Kion said with a nod. "Now, go back to the Outlands, and do not return."

Janja laughed. "You don't get it, Kion- you're not the one calling the shots! As you can see, we've got you outnumbered, many to four!"

"That never worked in your favour before!" Bunga taunted, arms crossed confidently, causing Janja to scowl.

"Zip it, honey badger!" He returned his attention to the cub. "Now, here's what's going to happen- either you go back to your daddy, and tell him we have free reign of the Pride Lands, can hunt whatever we want, whenever we want, and you can't do anything about it… or you can try and take us down, and we'll make sure the Lion Guard never gets in our way again."

Kion remained unfazed by the Outlander's threats. "Neither of those will happen, Janja. Instead, we will fight you, we will defeat you, and we will send you back to the Outlands where you belong, because we are the Lion Guard, and we will continue to defend the Pride Lands, and the Circle of Life itself." He smiled to his allies. "Because that is our destiny. Til the Pride Lands end!"

"LION GUARD DEFENDS!"

Janja wasted no time in cackling. "Have it your way! GET 'EM!"

Reirei and her jackals nodded to each other, as did Kiburi and his crocs, before they began to charge the Lion Guard. Kion turned to his allies. "Bunga, Ono! Focus on the jackals! Beshte, we'll take on the crocodiles! And watch your back for Janja!"

"Got it!"

So, they split up. While Janja watched on, Beshte ran straight through the crocodile float, sending them flying left and right. Whenever one tried to sneak up on the hippo, Kion would defend his ally, either pouncing on their back or pulling them away by the tail. On the other side of things, Ono swooped through the pack of jackals, disorienting the less intelligent of them enough for Bunga to leap in and knock them to one side. Whenever the honey badger saw one try and sneak up on him, he would simply smirk and leap over them, causing them to crash into another jackal.

For the most part, things remained the same as the battle continued. While the Outlanders refused to stay down, the Lion Guard were all too willing to knock them back down. As Bunga dealt with another jackal, however, he felt something collide into him from behind, pinning him to the ground. After a grunt of pain, he looked up to see it was none other than Janja, a menacing grin on his face.

"Where's your friends to help you now, Bunga?" He taunted the struggling honey badger.

While he was dealing with crocodiles, Kion looked to the side and saw his friend under his enemy's paws. "Bunga!"

This momentary distraction allowed Kiburi to tackle Kion to the ground. Before he could say or do anything, though, Beshte charged in and sent the crocodile to the side, freeing the lion cub. "Go, Kion!" Beshte urged, gesturing towards Bunga. "I've got this."

Kion nodded, before getting to his feet. He ran through the remaining crocodiles and dodged a couple of tackle attempts from the jackals, before leaping at the hyena, the two tumbling until Kion pinned him to the ground. "Give it up, Janja! You can't win this, we won't let you!"

He simply smirked and said, "you're forgetting something, Kion. We have something that used to be yours."

Kion realised straight away what he meant, but was too slow to react before he felt someone knock him off of the cocky hyena. He looked up after his head hit the ground and saw the smirking face of the cheetah that held him down. "Fuli…"

"Glad to see me?" She asked. "Look around, Kion. We've got you beat."

Doing his best to look around, Kion saw that, while Janja was holding Bunga by the scruff of his neck with his jaw, Reirei had Ono's wing pinned under her paw, and the crocodiles were biting down on Beshte's legs, forcing him down to his knees. Out of desperation, he looked back to Fuli with pleading eyes. "Fuli, you know this isn't right. You have to remember who you are, and what your role is in the Circle of Life. Please… don't do this…"

She scoffed in his face. "You don't get it, do you? Because of what happened, I've had to live in The Outlands, barely able to survive because of the lack of food and water, and having to share what little there is! If you paid any attention to what the Outlands were really right, you would realise just how much of a hell it is." Kion's face frowned guiltily upon hearing that. "And let me tell you something, Kion…" She leaned forward, positioned her head near his ear, and whispered…


	15. Ch 15- The Final Battle

**(A/N: sorry for the gap between uploads- life has been a bit sucky recently. Now, I wasn't sure at first if I would have enough content for another chapter after this, but I can now confirm that there will be another chapter after this. With that said, thank you for reading, and enjoy.)**

"It's good to be back."

While Kion was initially confused, Fuli simply looked over her shoulder at Janja, who held Bunga in his jaws, and got off of the lion cub under her weight. While Janja was initially confused as well, that quickly became surprise as she dashed into his side, causing him to release the bravest member of the Guard from his grasp. Reirei, who was holding Ono under her paw, caught sight of this, but she was quick to meet the same fate, letting the egret fly away. The crocodiles that were holding Beshte by his legs loosened their grips out of confusion, giving Beshte enough freedom to power through and shake them off, releasing their jaws from his thick skinned legs. As the hyena got back to his feet, he saw the cheetah staring at him with a serious expression, the rest of the Guard just a short distance behind her, and his surprise became anger. "What the hell, Fuli?! You're supposed to be on our side!"

"See, that's what I thought too," she explained, staring him down. "For the past week, I thought that the Guard had turned against me, had banished me to the Outlands, and that you became my allies." She then flashed him a brief smirk. "But then, earlier today, I was tricked into coming to the Pride Lands. I was lured into the Lair, where Kion showed me the paintings, and told me stories of our history, as friends, and as the Guard." Though she couldn't see it, Kion was smiling at this. "I didn't believe it at first, but when I got back to the Outlands, I happened to hear something." Her smirk faded. "I heard what your lackeys were saying about me, and my… accident."

* * *

_As Fuli hid herself behind a nearby cliff wall, she could overhear Cheezi and Chungu talking with each other. "I don't get why we have to stay behind!" Cheezi complained. "Why can't we go to the Pride Lands to take care of the Lion Guard too?"_

"_I know, right?!" Chungu moaned. "Or, why not let us go and get some juicy gazelle, or some zebra? We could have a feast!"_

"_Honestly, it's like Janja doesn't even see us anymore! Not since that cheetah joined us!"_

"_Yeah, I wish Janja had killed her when he pushed her off that cliff!"_

_Behind the cliff wall, Fuli went wide-eyed and gasped, though not loudly enough for either hyena to hear. "Yeah, me too." After a couple of seconds, Cheezi blinked as he remembered something. "Hey, Wait a second! Janja told us not to talk about that!"_

"_Oh, right! In case Fuli hears us, and she remembers what happened!" The two then quickly looked around, whipping their heads rapidly from side to side, before smirking at each other. "Nope! All clear!"_

"_Phew! That's good! For a second, I was worried."_

"_Me too. Hey, why don't we go see if any of those rats have come back?"_

"_Ooh! I love rats! They're surprisingly tasty!"_

_So, while they ran off in in search for the 'Outlands delicacy', Fuli was in shock. After they said what they had, something in her mind, and her memories began rushing back to her. Not just those that Kion tried to tell her about earlier that day, but everything. In particular, the memory of her being thrown off the cliff by Janja appeared at the forefront of her mind._

* * *

As Fuli explained this, she noticed the growing scowl on the hyena's face, as well as those directed to him by the crocodiles and the jackals. 'I'm gonna kill those two when I get back,' he thought to himself, emitting a low growl.

"Had it not been for them, I wouldn't have remembered what happened or who I was, and I would have made a terrible mistake today," she admitted, "almost as terrible as ever trusting you." She took a couple of step forwards and puffed her chest up at him. "But thanks to them, I know who I am- I am Fuli, cheetah of the Pride Lands, and the fastest animal there is! I am a proud member of the Lion Guard, and as long as I can fight, it is my duty, my role, my honour and my privilege to defend my home from those who dare threaten it, and wish to disrupt the Circle of Life!" She turned to Kion giving him a smile. "It's like my friend and leader says… TIL THE PRIDE LANDS END!"

The rest of the Guard all smiled and shouted out loud, "LION GUARD DEFENDS!"

Returning their attention to the hyena, they saw him scowl furiously, flaring his teeth at them, but then turn it into a smile. "Well, well, Fuli," he teased. "Looks like you've figured everything out… and to be honest, I'm a little bit glad. You know why? It's because… I'm gonna finish what I started." He instantly dropped his smile. "KILL THEM ALL!"

The rest of the Outlanders didn't hold back, as they instantly charged towards the Lion Guard, but Fuli simply smiled as she turned to Kion. "What do we do, Kion?"

"The same thing we always do- send them back where they came from!" He turned to the others. "Bunga, Ono, Beshte, you focus on the crocodiles." They nodded to him, before charging towards the crocs, while Kion looked back at Fuli. "You and I will take care of the jackals."

"You got it!"

So, they rushed into battle, ready to stop them before any more Pride Landers could get hurt. While the crocodiles tried to bite at the honey badger, Beshte would charge at them, sending the, flying back, and those that tried to sneak up on the hippo would get pecked at by a sweeping Ono, allowing Bunga to get the jump on them. On the other side, Fuli and Kion, despite being younger than all of the jackals and outnumbered, had the advantage of being faster, stronger and more intelligent, which allowed them to take them down and knock them to one side before they became overwhelmed. As the battle raged on, Janja's scowl grew more and more pronounced. It wasn't until he saw a small opening, which would allow him to attack Fuli, that he smirked again.

'Time to end what I started', he thought, before breaking into a run.

As Janja neared the cheetah, Kion caught sight of him out of the side of his eye, then followed his path and his eyes widened. "NO!" He roared, turning away from the jackal he was fighting and charging towards the hyena. Before he could even halt his attack on Fuli, he felt Kion tackle him from the side, pinning him to the ground with a thud. As he stared down at the disoriented hyena, he felt his breathing grow heavy and his anger rise.

"**Yes, Kion,"** He could hear Scar taunt, **"finish it. **_**He **_**hurt Fuli. **_**HE **_**caused all of this. **_**HE **_**is the one responsible for ALL of the attacks on the Pride Lands! But you can stop it from happening **_**ever again**_**. You know what you must do."**

Kion could feel his anger burning strongly inside of him, like a thunderstorm raging in his mind. He squeezed his eyes tightly, feeling his strength rising… before it faded away as he exhaled deeply and shook his head slowly. 'Not like this,' he reminded himself.

Getting off of Janja, he grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and tossed him aside, the hyena landing by the rest of his allies. As Beshte threw the last crocodile to the group, he turned to Kion. "That's all of them," he spoke, as Bunga and Ono returned to his side.

"Thanks, guys," he replied, before turning to the Outlanders with a serious expression on his face. "Let this be a lesson- as long as we are still standing, we will defend the Pride Lands with all our might. And if you try and get between us again, you will realise that our bond is stronger than that, and that we will always stand together! Now, it's time you went back to where you came from!"

Without another word, he summoned his power by digging his claws into the ground and tensing his muscles, and as the winds picked up behind him, he unleashed the Roar of the Elders, the clouds taking the form of mighty lions roaring as the winds forced the Outlanders out of the Pride Lands despite their best efforts, sending them back to their home. As the Roar died down, Kion's breathing calmed once more.

"Nice work, Kion!" Bunga cheered, causing him to smile.

"Thanks, Bunga," he replied. He then turned to Fuli, a big smile on his face. "And thank you, Fuli. We wouldn't have been able to beat them without you."

She gave an uneasy smile, looking down at her front paws. "Thanks…. I guess…" she quietly replied, her voice mirroring her uncertainty. Her teammates were quick to notice this, growing concerned.

"Are you okay, Fuli?" Beshte asked. The cheetah was silent for a moment, showing no indication of what her response might be, until she looked up with a serious expression on her face.

"What happens now?" The others blinked, not sure how to respond. "I mean… after everything that's happened, I want to be able to just… come back, and try to continue like everything was before, but… I don't think I can." She frowned, her face exuding her guilt. "Whether it was by accident or by injury or whatever, I still turned my back on my team, and on my home. I became the thing that I swore to protect the Pride Lands against when I joined the Lion Guard. I helped Scar to attack this place, and allowed the hyenas to kill innocents, all because I was tricked into thinking that it's what was right. And even more than that… I understand why they do it now."

"You do?" Ono asked out of surprise.

She nodded. "I don't agree with what they're doing, but…" She turned her head and looked towards the Outlands, her former temporary home. "Those Pride Landers we hunted… that was our only source of food, with the exception of the odd hare or rat that crawled in, and there were times we had to fight for what little there was. Our Watering Hole was small, and nowhere near as clean. My back felt sore after sleeping out there, and there were nights when I genuinely didn't feel safe. It was almost a fight for survival out there." She looked down again. "In a small way… I feel sorry for them, and I know that they won't likely change, especially now that they're listening to Scar… but I wish there was a way we could make an agreement, so that they don't have to live like that, and so we don't have to keep fighting them like this."

Kion was more than just surprised by this. He could see the distraught in her eyes, making it clear just how much of an impact the whole experience from this past week had had on her, and how uncertain she now felt because of it. He tried to find the right words to ease her mind, but he knew that no matter what he said, he didn't think it would help. There was one idea that came to mind, and while he knew it wasn't the most foolproof of ideas, it was the best thing he could think of. He walked up to Fuli, who only looked up when he was right in front of her. Rather than say anything, he simply closed the distance between them and pulled her into a warm hug. She was caught by surprise at first, but the longer he held her in the hug, the more she could feel that he truly cared, and it allowed her to open up, returning the hug while allowing herself to cry. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay," Kion whispered back, while the others joined in on the hug.

* * *

Over in the Outlands, the crocodiles were the first to crash into the dusty, dry ground, followed almost immediately after by the jackals, with Janja being the last of them. After he rolled around upon impact and slam into the nearby wall, he groaned a bit as he got to his feet. "Great," he muttered, "another plan, another bust."

"Scar's not gonna be happy about this," he heard Goigoi whine, the Male jackal somehow balanced on his head.

"And whose fault's that?" Kiburi snapped, glaring at the hyena.

"Hey, this ain't on me!"

"No, but it was _your _hyena that spilt the truth!" Reirei pointed out. "How do you plan on telling Scar _that_?"

While Janja growled at this, an idea came to his head. "If Scar doesn't point it out, then I won't tell him. After all, the cheetah let slip that she was tricked by Jasiri, which means that the skinks weren't doing their job and allowed her to."

Reirei's eyes widened slightly. "Surprisingly cunning of you, Janja."

"Just let me do the talking, and don't bring up those Furbrains." His eyes narrowed in anger, "I'll have a little talk with them later."

So, they set off to give their leader a report, unaware that a particular skink had eyes on them. "Think you're smart, huh, Janja? We'll see about that."


	16. Ch 16- The Calm After The Storm

Evening came, and per the request of King Simba, Muhimu's herd were gathered at the base of Pride Rock. It wasn't long before his majesty arrived, alongside his family and the Lion Guard. As they approached, however, one of the zebras began to panic. "It's her!" He called out. "It's the cheetah!"

Fuli frowned as she saw the herd begin to get louder and panicked. Muhimu, rolling her eyes, turned to her herd. "Everyone, calm down." Her words, unfortunately, were ignored. "I said calm down!" Once again, much to her chagrin, they continued to panic. She opened her mouth to attempt it once more, but was cut off by a ferocious roar. Everyone immediately silenced upon realising that the king was losing patience, with Muhimu giving a grateful smile. "Thank you."

He nodded, before addressing the herd as a whole. "Thank you for joining us. Now, I am aware of your apprehensions towards one of the members of the Lion Guard, given the past week's events. Because of this, Fuli has requested the opportunity to speak." He turned to the cheetah. "Fuli, the floor is yours."

"Thank you, your majesty," she responded. She took a couple of steps forward, but stopped when she saw a couple of the zebras step back. She looked to Kion, feeling nervous, but felt her resolve return upon seeing his calming smile. Taking a deep breath, she looked back to the herd. "A week ago, we were on patrol, when the jackals and the hyenas attacked two different herds, which meant we had to split up to fight both threats. While the others went after the jackals, myself and Ono chased after the hyenas. Unfortunately, they led us too close to the border, and while the herd was safe, I ended up going over the edge of the cliff. I tried to hang on, but Janja… he threw me over." Kion, looking on from his mother's side, frowned as he saw how much it hurt for her to recall this. "I hit my head in the fall and was knocked out, and when I woke up, my memory was gone. Janja, and more importantly, Scar used this to trick me- they made me believe that I had been sent over the cliff by Kion, and that I had been banished to the Outlands some time ago, and had since been working for Scar."

"So, that's why you attacked Kion the other day," Muhimu spoke, receiving a nod in response.

"That was the first time I went into the Pride Lands since the fall, as I had only just recovered enough to fulfil Scar's orders. Until earlier today, I thought I was doing what was right, because living in the Outlands… it was tough, to say the least. The lack of food and clean water makes life tough, especially given how many of them live off that every day. I don't agree with their actions… but I do feel sorry for them."

"Then how are we supposed to feel safe around you?!" The same zebra from before challenged.

"Well, thanks to Kion and the rest of the Guard," she turned to give them a thankful smile, which was returned in kind, "I was able to remember who I am, and when Scar tried to send an attack on the Guard, I turned on them and stood by my team's side once more."

"And that makes up for everything?!" Fuli turned back, and could see said zebra was angry. "Your allegiance with Scar meant that two of our zebras were hunted by those hyenas, something that is _illegal _for Outlanders to do! My wife was almost one of them!" Fuli looked and saw a female zebra stood behind him look down upon him mentioning that, causing Fuli to frown. "Regardless of what happened, you still aided them! Tell them, Muhimu!"

While she did glare at him for this, she did look regretful as she looked at Fuli. "It is no secret that you have done so, so much for the Pride Lands, my herd included… but this past week has my herd concerned, and I have to keep that in mind."

Fuli nodded. "I am not asking for forgiveness- I have no excuse for what has happened."

"But-"

"It's okay, Bunga," she reminded the honey badger, before looking back at the zebra leader. "I know that my actions were heinous, and I deeply apologise. While I am not asking for forgiveness, I would like the chance to earn it."

"That's noble of you, Fuli," Muhimu acknowledged, "but I'm sorry. I don't know if I can."

Fuli ducked her head, disappointed yet understanding. 'I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up,' she mentally scolded herself.

"If I may," she heard Kion speak up, lifting her head to see him step forward and face Muhimu. "The day before Fuli was sent over the cliff, your herd were attacked by the hyenas, and were almost led into the Outlands."

"I remember," Muhimu replied.

"Then you'll also remember that it was Fuli who rerouted your herd away from the Outlands, and towards safety. After we sent the hyenas back to the Outlands and met up with you, you said that, if we ever needed anything from you or your herd, then we just had to ask." Muhimu's eyes widened as she remembered that. "So I'm asking you to please give Fuli a second chance."

Muhimu was conflicted. "You're right, Kion… I did promise that…" She let out a heavy sigh. "The issue is, I have to keep my herd's feelings in mind, above all else."

"I understand that, but I know Fuli and the rest of my team better than anyone else, and when she attacked me while still working for Scar, I could see in her eyes that it wasn't the same Fuli that I knew." He turned to Fuli with a smile. "But the Fuli that I see right here, right now, is the same Fuli that is my friend, my teammate… and pretty much my family." She couldn't help but smile at that, before Kion looked back at Muhimu. "So, please. If you don't feel that you can fully trust her yet… then trust me."

As Muhimu prepared to respond, she saw the look in Kion's eyes, a mix of assurance and pleading behind his gaze, and after a moment of consideration, she gave him a small smile. "Alright, Kion. Because I trust you," she looked at the cheetah, "and because of how many times the Lion Guard have protected us, my herd and I will give Fuli another chance." She turned to her herd, giving the male who spoke up before a stern look. "Won't we?"

He grumbled, before replying, "I suppose so."

Fuli, overwhelmed with joy, felt a tear in her eye. "Thank you," she told Muhimu. "Thank you so much."

Muhimu nodded to the cheetah, then turned to the king once again. "If that is all, my herd must be returning home, before it gets dark."

"By all means," he responded. "I thank you for coming out here at such time, as well as for resolving this peacefully, and I wish you safe passage." The zebras all gave a bow to the king, before heading on their way, while Simba turned to those still remaining. "It's getting late, so be safe getting home." He gave Fuli a smile. "We're glad to have you back with us, Fuli."

"Thank you, your majesty." As everyone else said their 'goodnights', Full turned to Kion, the only one still there. "Thanks, Kion."

"For what?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.

"For standing up for me just now, and for not giving up on me." She frowned slightly. "I know that it can't have been easy,"

"Don't be ridiculous, Fuli. I'll admit, I was concerned that you… that you might…" He could feel his frown becoming more pronounced, so he shook his head before he allowed his thoughts to ruin this. "Either way, while I was worried, I had a feeling that you would be alright. As long as I had that feeling, I wasn't going to give up on you."

Her smile returned. "I'm glad that you did. Honestly, if it wasn't for you, I might not even be here." She moved forward to hug him again. "So, yeah. Thank you."

While he did return the hug, his face instead showed guilt. "No problem."

* * *

Nightfall eventually came, and for most of the animals in the Pride Lands, sleep came just as easily. The same could be said for the royal family, sleeping tightly in their cave up, high on Pride Rock.

That is, except for the young prince. Despite his best attempts after laying down and shutting his eyes, sleep eluded him, his own nagging thoughts preventing him from achieving that temporary nirvana. He reopened his eyes, lifting his head slightly to look around, allowing him to see that his family did not share his troubles, and were happily slumbering. 'I'd better not disturb them,' he thought, getting to his feet and walking out of the cave. As he made his way down Pride Rock, his thoughts came to the forefront of his mind, particularly those of the past week, and his own experiences. 'I need to know how to control that side of me… I lost control of myself once, and it almost cost me the Roar… and possibly my team.' It was that thought that scared him more than anything- the idea that his team, who he had hand selected; who he had bonded with; who he considered to be his family, meeting their end because of him. 'It doesn't help that Scar can use our connection to take control of me… but just how much control does he have?'

He came to a stop, realising what he needed to do in order to clear his mind, and while he didn't like it, he decided it was better than wandering aimlessly with his thoughts. Looking up to the sky, he took a deep breath and called out, "Grandfather Mufasa? I need to speak to you."

It didn't take long for the clouds to form into the former king, smiling down on his grandson. "Kion," he greeted, "I'm glad you've come to speak to me. Though, it is rather late. Shouldn't you be asleep right now?"

"I know, and I'm sorry to bother you."

The apparition chuckled. "Kion, you are never a bother to me." He then noticed that his grandson was frowning, so he dropped his own smile. "You seem troubled. What do you wish to speak about?"

"… I'm afraid, grandfather. Afraid that what happened a week ago will happen again, and that I'm going to end up doing something that gets my team hurt; that I'm going to end up like Scar, and that my team will suffer because of it." He felt like he wanted to cry, but forced himself to suppress it. "I can't let that happen… but I don't know how to stop it, and I need help to figure it out."

"I understand, Kion. I wish that I had a simple answer for you, but unfortunately, there isn't one. Many who have been blessed with the power of the Roar Of the Elders have encountered this issue, and it was a doubt I had during my reign as king. The truth is, that how you overcome depends on what your feelings stem from, and what keeps you from succumbing to them. The answer can, and most likely will, change as you grow, but as long as you keep that in mind, then you should be able to maintain balance." The former king then frowned. "I often wonder if that was why Scar turned to darkness." He sighed, before returning his gaze to Kion. "Regardless, there will always be someone to help you- I am always here if you need to speak to me, and there are people around you that will listen to you if you ask them. For now, though, I suggest that you get some sleep."

Kion nodded. "Thank you, Grandfather."

"Of course, Kion."

So, Kion turned around, the clouds reverting to their original form as he began to walk back to Pride Rock. As he did, however, his eyes- despite the darkness- caught sight of a familiar cheetah. "Fuli?" He said to himself, though this didn't stop her from hearing.

"Oh, hey, Kion," she greeted. "What are you doing out so late?"

"I was just… clearing my head a bit. What about you?"

"I was just heading to the Watering Hole."

"Right. Well, I'll uh… see you later, I guess."

She gave a bemused chuckle, then replied, "sure thing, Kion."

The lion cub watched as she continued on her way, and he would have done the same, had his grandfather's words not come back to him: _"there will always be someone to help you"_.

"Actually, Fuli," he called out, getting her to stop, "would you mind if I come with you? I could do with someone to talk to."

Intrigued by his change of heart, she immediately agreed. "Sure. Let's go."

So, for the duration of the walk to the Watering Hole, Kion opened up to Fuli about what was on his mind- he started by talking about what happened after he found out about Fuli falling off the cliff, and how he almost cost himself the Roar, before talking about everything that happened after that. His family keeping him off patrol; his discussions with Rafiki; his nightmare and subsequent attempt at contacting Scar; and his fears about losing control again. All the while, Fuli listened without speaking, taking in the doubt in Kion's voice and the slight anguish on his face.

"Wow," she uttered as she finally got a drink from the Watering Hole. "I had no idea that this affected you so much. I'm sorry."

He looked incredulous at the apology. "Fuli, you have nothing to apologise for!"

"But, I do. Had I not run off alone that day, I would never have been sent over that cliff in the first place, and none of this would have happened."

"No!" Fuli stepped back, shocked how Kion almost sounded angry. "Had I been a better leader, and had better control over myself, then I could've saved you before Janja sent you over the cliff, or I at least would have been able to prevent Scar from controlling my thoughts." He looked down at his reflection in the water and frowned. "But I couldn't. He took advantage of my fear of losing you and turned me into the thing I swore never to be."

"Your fear of… of losing me?"

He nodded. "You mean so much to me, and the thought that you were… that you…" He choked back his tears before he could make a scene. "I felt like I had lost everything."

"Kion, that wasn't your fault-"

"Yes, it was. Ever since I reformed the Lion Guard, what happens to you and everyone else has been my responsibility."

"But I know what I signed up for when I joined the Guard."

"That doesn't change anything. And the fact that you got hurt… it makes me feel like I've failed." This was the last straw for Fuli, as she pushed him into the Watering Hole. It was a second before he resurfaced, his fur now heavily soaking wet, and he looked right at Fuli. While she was giving him a serious stare, she only held it for all of ten seconds before she burst out into giggles at how ridiculous he looked. Kion, realising that she had done it to shut him up, he smirked. "Think this is funny? You'll love this!"

He then began shaking his fur wildly, causing the water to go everywhere. "Hey!" She laughingly complained. What ensued from this could only be described as a splashing battle, both cubs laughing for a good minute as their previous concerns took a backseat. When they finally settled down, they were breathing heavily yet still laughing a bit. "You okay there, Kion?"

"Y-Yeah," he panted.

"Good, cause I'm only going to say this once- none of what happened is your fault, and you have in no way failed anyone. What happened happened, and it's thanks to you that everything turned out the right way." She turned her smile into a smirk. "So, don't let me catch you doubting yourself, or I'm going to kick your butt again."

He chuckled at that. "Alright, alright. I'll try not to do that again."

"That's good." Just then, a small yawn escaped her lips. "I'm gonna go back and get some sleep."

"What, no hug this time?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I think I've hugged you enough for one day."

He simply smirked and replied, "you didn't seem to mind."

This caused her smile to drop, her cheeks heating up under her fur. "Just… just, shut up, okay." She quickly rushed towards him and gave him a hug, silently enjoying the contact between them as he returned it, before she separated from him. "Alright, now go get some rest okay?"

"Okay. Goodnight, Fuli."

"Goodnight, Kion."

And with that, she took off. Kion waited a few seconds before making his own way home, and as he headed back to Pride Rock, one thought stuck with him, and would stick with him as he slept the night away:

Now that Fuli was back, things were looking up again.

**THE END**


End file.
